


Slow Burn

by nightiiingale



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Drabble Set, F/M, Pietro is alive, because bucky deserves happiness, bucky is a softie, cute fluff and more, short fic, the avengers teasing him constantly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-03 00:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 26,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6589345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightiiingale/pseuds/nightiiingale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Bucky Barnes x Reader] [Drabble set / Short fic]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time to write a fanfiction about our beloved Winter soldier and I hope you guys will like it! :D

The Avengers tower seemed quiet today, well aside from Tony's constant fuzz with his gadgets. You are in your lab, examining something that Tony had asked you to see through. You've known Tony for as long as you can remember. You've watched him grow out of his playboy antics and become this superhero that everyone knows by now. This small family (you, Pepper, and Tony) then grew big when he and Natasha had introduced you to the other Avengers and became their personal doctor and technician. You've established a good friendship with all of them, especially with Wanda and Natasha. 

        "Miss (Y/N), Mr. Stark is requesting for your presence in the lounge." FRIDAY, Tony's new female AI assistant, said. 

        You removed your lab goggles and placed hem in your lab coat's pocket. "Thank you, FRIDAY. Tell him I'll be there soon." you said and fixed your glasses and headed to the lounge where Tony and the rest of the Avengers are. When you got there, everyone was gathering around Natasha, Steve, and Sam. 

        "Oh hey, you're back." You beamed and walked towards them, giving them warm, welcome back hugs. When you reached Steve, you saw someone standing behind him. 

        The guy had shoulder-length brown hair, and had a slight stubble on his facial features. His eyes were blue and held a piercing and assertive look. His body is built and three inches taller than you, like Steve. 

        "Who's the guy?" You asked when you pulled back from Steve. The stranger turned his gaze at you and you gazed back. Somehow, he looked familiar. 

        Steve walked to the guy's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "His name is James Buchanan Barnes. You can call him 'Bucky'." he introduced. 

        Oh so that's why he looked familiar. You've seen him on the news. The Winter Soldier was once his so-called name. Steve has also told you stories of him and his best friend, Bucky, when he was still living a much simpler life. Your eyes trailed down to his left arm which was covered with the sleeve of the jacket he was wearing. You could see his metal fingers peeking out of the hem of his sleeve. 

        "....and (Y/N)." Steve's voice brought you out of your thoughts. You looked at him, slightly startled, then looked at Bucky. Steve must have been introducing everybody to Bucky while you were busy in your thoughts. You mentally shook your head and held out a hand. 

        "Nice to meet you." You said, expecting Bucky to shake it. 

        Bucky looked at you, then to your hand. He narrowed his eyes at it. You tried to read his expression, but it was blank so you had no idea what he was thinking of. You heard someone cough from behind which made the air thicken in awkwardness. You pulled your hand back and felt your cheeks turn pink. You glanced at Steve, who gave you an apologetic look. You cleared your throat and held your head high, not showing any sign of bashfulness. You joined Wanda's side and she rubbed your back, comfortingly. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you tend to Bucky's injuries.

It has been three weeks since Steve had introduced Bucky to all of you. After that first-- _awkward_ \--meeting you two had, you hardly seen Bucky in the tower. The only time you get to see him is when you pass by the sparring room and see Steve and him train together. He rarely joins the Avengers in the lounge and in having dinner. The first (and last) time he ate dinner with you all was when he first stepped foot in the tower. After that, he stayed in his room most of the time or somewhere you and the others (aside from Steve) don't know. Steve has to bring him his dinner because he is the only one that Bucky trusts. You didn't mind it, though you did keep an eye on him from time to time. Steve came to you one night and opened up to you about how he felt like he was losing hope that the Bucky he once knew will never come back. But you reassured him that he will come back. He just needs time.

        Speaking of Steve, he and Bucky are on a mission again. They left after breakfast, along with Sam.

        As usual, you were in your lab again, calculating some formulas and gathering information. Tony and Bruce are experimenting something again in their lab and had asked you to scan some parts. You hoped that they aren't making another Ultron.

        The lab door opened and in came Wanda and Natasha. "Hey, nerd." Natasha greeted, smirking.

        You smiled at them. "Hey guys, what brings you here?" you asked.

        "Oh nothing. Just bringing a cup of coffee for our caffeine addict, old friend." Wanda teased as she placed the cup of coffee on the vacant spot on the table next to you.

        Your expression changed into a mock of hurt, glancing down to your yellow buttoned up dress that stopped just above your knees. "Hey, just because I like wearing clothes like this doesn't mean I'm old. I'm (Y/A), not 95." you told them, smirking. "I happen to own modern clothes, too."

        They laughed. "Oh yeah? Like what?" Wanda asked.

        "Uh, jeans? A shirt that has an animal print on it, a gray sweater.... the list goes on." You said, sipping the coffee they brought you.

        Nat laughed and nodded her head. "Like 5% of your clothes are modern, and 95% are vintage."

        You scoffed, rolling your eyes. "Did you two come here to make fun of the way I dress? Just leave." you told them, chuckling.

        Wanda chuckled. "Not at all, _printsessa_. We are also here to invite you to a nearby taco restaurant for lunch." she said.

        You shook your head. "Sorry guys, I can't. Tony and Bruce need my help with their experiment. Maybe tomorrow?"

        Wanda and Natasha pouted. "Sometimes, I feel like they are stealing you from us. I'm gonna have to talk to them later." Natasha grumbled, still pouting.

        You laughed. "They aren't stealing me from you. Now go and buy me a taco. I'll see you two later." you said and resumed what you were doing.

 

 

That night, you were in the kitchen brewing yourself a cup of coffee. Another sleepless night because of work. But you didn't care. You quite enjoyed the peace you have in the tower.

        You heard someone enter the kitchen. You glanced over your shoulder and saw Steve. His hair was a mess and he was sweaty and dirty. "Steve? You're back! How was the mission?" You said, pouring the coffee on a cup.

        Steve was panting. "(Y/N), Bucky needs your help." he said.

        Your eyes snapped to his. "Bucky? Why? Is everything alright?"

        You followed him outside to the hall. "He has a lot of cuts and bruise on his face and a bullet wound on his right shoulder. He didn't want to have it checked, but I told him that he has to." Steve informed you.

        When you two turned to a corner, you saw Bucky leaning against the wall across your lab. He looked at you and Steve as you approached him. You saw the bruise on the side of his face, a few cuts, and a bleeding lip. You saw him holding his injured shoulder.

        "Come inside." You said and entered your lab, leaving the door open. You grabbed the medical kit and some more medical items that aren't in the kit. As you did so, you heard a quiet argument coming from outside. You didn't pay much attention to it, though you did grasp an "I don't want to" and a "Come on, Buck. You have to".

        You turned around and saw Bucky entering the room. He had a scowl on his face. Steve was by the door, looking at him. "Behave yourself, Buck." he said with a faint teasing tone in it. Bucky only glared at him and grunted in reply. Steve looked at you and nodded his head, giving you a look of appreciation. You smiled and nodded. And with that, Steve left you and Bucky with a deafening silence.

        You cleared your throat, breaking the silence. "Take a seat." You said. He did what you said and sat on the chair in front of him. You took a deep breath and mentally calmed yourself down. After all, this is the first time you and him interact with each other.

        It took a while for you to finish treating his injuries on his face. You had to stop yourself from fidgeting under his gaze. You weren't afraid of him. Quite the opposite, actually. He intrigued you. He is a closed book and you want to find that 1940s lad that Steve has always told you about underneath that cold and hard exterior he has on. You've seen worse, so being in the same building with the once dangerous ghost assassin doesn't tickle your fear bone. While you patched him up, you didn't talk. Neither did he. It was quiet.

        When you finished treating his cuts, you moved on to his shoulder. "I'm gonna need you to take the sleeve off." you told him. He hesitated at first but unzipped the uniform he was wearing and pulled down the side, exposing the wound on his shoulder. The wound was slightly throbbing which made you grimace.

        "It's a good thing Steve brought you here, or else this wound would've gotten an infection." You said and grabbed a forcep/clamp from the table and removed the bullet inside. Bucky didn't say anything, but he did hear you.

        You sighed and continued treating the wound on his shoulder. "You know that Steve is doing all he can to help you, right?" you said, hoping to get an answer from him. When he didn't say anything, you tried again, "You're his best friend."

        Bucky grunted. "I'm not the same man I was before." he simply said.

        "Of course you aren't. But you are not the winter soldier, either. You're way beyond that."

        Bucky looked over his shoulder and looked at you, but you didn't meet his gaze. You were too busy treating his wound. "You don't know me."

        "You're right, I don't." This time, you looked at him in the eye. "But what I do know is that there is still good in you. You just have to let yourself feel it." you said.

        Bucky narrowed his eyes at you, but there is a flicker of surprise and confusion in it. He shifts, agitated. His voice comes out steady and harsh. "I am a killer, (Y/N). A monster. You don't know how many lives I have taken with this," he raised his metal arm slightly. "I attempted to kill your friends." His eyes flashed with anger. "Whatever. I don't want to talk about this."

        "That wasn't you."

        "Bullshit." Bucky snaps, loud enough that he makes himself wince. You see a flicker of apology in his eyes, an apology he tries to hide from you. "I don't need you to tell me what they keep telling me."

        You say, "Okay," and apply a styptic on the wound to stop the bleeding.

        Bucky fidgets, uncomfortably. The deep silence was back again. "I'm - I'm _sorry_."

        "It's okay."

        "I hate seeing him like that," Bucky glances over to the door where Steve had stood by earlier. "He keeps acting like James Buchanan Barnes is coming back home. Back to him. Back to my old self. I - I don't know if...." he trailed off, his face scrunching up with pain.

        You looked up from the wound and smiled gently, making him look at you. "You will come home," you say, "Not now but you will - someday."

        Bucky stared at you, eyes hard. "What if I don't even know what the hell home is anymore?"

        He watched you carefully as you pause. "I guess you have to go and find a new one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to trecoolio for the quote "I guess you have to go and find a new one." If you ship Caulscott (LiS), I suggest you read her fanfiction in here in Ao3. The title is "The Sense Of Me".


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you found Bucky, tired and hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what, guys? I'd be updating this fic with 4 chapters today. Yayyy :D

Thunder and lightning are what keeps you up at rainy night. It has always been your fear since you were a little girl. You never tried to overcome this fear so whenever you hear the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning during a stormy night, you would flinch and make your way over to the kitchen and watch a random show on TV.

        You exited your room and came across a dim lit hallway. You figured that everybody is asleep now, since it is the middle of the night. You made your way to the kitchen, quietly. When you got there, you made yourself some tea. Beverages like this always calms you down. Clutching the cup with the newly made tea, you walked to the lounge and sat down on the sofa. Tony put a TV in the lounge so everyone would have some entertainment while they were there. Basically, the lounge is the hangout place of the Avengers when they have free time.

        After some time, you glanced at the glass window and saw that the sky seemed to have calmed down for a little bit. Though there was still flashes of lightning, but no thunder. You put your now-empty cup on the coffee table and turned the TV off. You made your way back to your room, thinking happily that you are going to be able to sleep again.

        You were about to open your door when you heard someone say, “Fuck…” followed by a deep sigh. You followed the sound of quiet murmurs and found yourself in front of Bucky’s room. It was slightly open.

        “Bucky?” You called, opening his door slightly to see him.

        He was sitting on his bed with his elbows on his knees and his palms on his face. When he heard you, he looked up at you. You saw that he had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair disheveled as if he had been running his fingers through his hair the whole time. “(Y/N)? Why are you still awake?” he asked, his voice slightly shaky. He was wearing a black t-shirt and gray sweat pants.

        “I should be asking you the same question.” You said, giving him a small smile.

        Bucky didn’t answer, instead he shook his head and closed his eyes. You sensed that something was wrong so you walked to his side, only a foot apart. “Hey…. What’s wrong?” you asked.

        He shook his head. “Nothing.” He scooted to the side to let you sit next to him.

        You let out a small scoff. “I know ‘nothing’ when I see it. And this isn’t ‘nothing’.”

        Bucky sighed. “I just keep having nightmares about….” He sighed again.

        “Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, softly.

        Bucky didn’t say anything for a while. He stared at the wall in front of him, thinking. Then, he began telling you what he has on his mind. HYDRA, him being tied again to the chair as his memories slowly fade away, then all he could feel was pain. A lot of pain. As he did so, you listened attentively. You knew that he needed someone to talk to about these kind of things to let it out of his chest. Steve is asleep, so he has no one to talk to. Till you joined him.

        By the time he was finished, he hung his head low and let out a shaky breath.

        “That won’t happen ever again, Bucky. You’re here now. We won’t let anyone try and let you go back to your old deadly ways.” You said, comforting him.

        Bucky looked at you, his eyes growing slightly hard. "How do you know? Do you think it's that easy to just become, _normal_ like everybody here in this goddamn tower?" he said.

        You narrowed your eyes, slightly agitated. "I never said it was easy." you said, making him gulp and avert his gaze from you. "Look Bucky, I know how you feel. I can see it in your eyes. I know that there is a weight on your shoulders that you cannot release at the moment. You are not alone in this, Bucky. We are here to help you. You just have to trust us."

        "I can't.... Not yet."

        You smiled, "I know. Don't feel pressured. It takes time. You'll get there, this is the first step."

        The silence is back again. It isn't an uncomfortable one, to say at the least. You glanced at him and found that he is looking at you. You pursed your lips together. "Those nightmares you are having, they aren't real. Remember that. Don't give in to the fear. If you give in to the fear...." you trailed off with a shake of your head.

        You two looked at each other in silence. When you felt the air shift to an uncomfortable one, you cleared your throat and averted your eyes from him. "You should get some sleep." you said, standing up.

        Bucky slowly nodded silently. You nodded your head and turned around, and was about to make your way towards the door when you felt his human hand hold your wrist. "Will you stay? Just to.... I don't know.... wake me up when I am having another nightmare?" he asked, slowly. There was hesitancy in his tone.

        You looked at him, slightly surprised at the request. You glanced down to his hand which was holding your wrist. Looking back at him, you could see a flicker of hope and worry in his eyes. He looked like a lost puppy outside on the streets, begging for someone to help him. You sighed and nodded.

        You walked around his bed as he lied down, bringing the blankets up at his chest. You took a seat on the window pane that he had in his room.

        "Why are you there?" Bucky asked.

        "Um...."

        "Lie down here." Bucky patted the empty space next to him. You felt a slight tingle of pink slowly appear on your face and you're thankful that the only light in the room was the moon's light.

        "I - I shouldn't." you said, cursing mentally in your head upon hearing yourself stutter.

        Bucky looked at you with a serious expression. "It's okay, (Y/N)."

        You didn't move on your spot for a few minutes. You were still debating on whether you should go there and lie next to him, or just stay where you are. But you knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer. So you slowly stood up and hesitantly lied down on the empty space. You lied down to your side, facing him. He did the same.

        It was silent, again. You refused to look at him, only looking at the plain black shirt he was wearing. This situation caught you off guard. You have never spoken to Bucky ever since he had first stepped foot on the tower, but here you are on his bed and him telling you about his night problems.

        When you two didn't speak for a while, your eyes glanced to his metal arm. The moment you saw him for the first time in person, you felt a tingle of fascination on his cybernetic arm.

        The question slip past your lips as soon as it passed your mind. Bucky looked at you, slightly surprised.

        "What?"

        "May I touch your arm?" you asked.

        Bucky knows what arm you are talking about. He glanced at it, and then at you. He hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. He places his forearm between you two.

        You lifted your hand and slowly reached out to touch. You hovered for a few seconds, wondering if you should continue or not. Settling to continue, you touched it, still hesitating. You felt the cold metal under your fingertips. You traced the outline of his arm. You felt yourself smile absentmindedly. "Wow...." you murmured.

        "'Wow'?"

        You looked up and saw Bucky giving you a confused look. "Oh, sorry. I was just fascinated on your arm. It's.... remarkable." you said.

        Bucky scoffed, slightly amused by your comment. "Remarkable? I don't see anything that is remarkable on this thing." he said.

        "This may sound stupid, but do you feel it when I touch it?" you asked.

        "Only if I see you touch it." he said.

        You slowly nodded your head and glanced up at him. He held your gaze for a moment. You gave him a small smile. "You should get some sleep. It's 3 in the morning." you told him.

        He nodded his head. "You should, too." he said.

        "Okay." you said and watched him close his eyes. Lowering your head, you closed your eyes, too.

 

The next morning, when you woke up, Bucky was no longer next to you. You noticed that there is a blanket draped on your body. You figured that Bucky must have put his blankets on you while you were sleeping. When you turned to the right side, you saw a piece of paper on top of the nightstand beside the bed. You reached for it and saw that there is a message scribbled on it;

_Thank you._  

_\- Bucky_  


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you sang a song for Bucky.

Paying a visit to your room became a night routine for Bucky. He would be knocking on your door and you would gladly invite him in. He would talk about what he has on his mind, what he had dreamed off and he would ask if it was a dream or a memory. He would do this every night. If you weren't awake, he would join you in your bed and quietly snuggle up against you.

        None of the Avengers knew about this routine of yours. Not even Steve, who is always with Bucky.

        Today isn't a very busy day for you. So you decided to go back to your room and catch up on things for yourself. You were sitting on your bed, writing something on your little journal. After you were done, you closed the notebook and leaned back on the headboard of your bed. You took a deep breath and released it, contentedly. Looking out the window, your mind wandered all around to the busy streets of New York, strangers passing by everyone they encounter, the swaying of the trees along the wind, and the faint silhouette of the airplanes in the sky.

        You shifted your gaze from the window to your guitar. You reached over and put it on your lap. This was given by your mother when you reached the age of 15. She knew how much you liked to sing along the acoustic covers of some artists.

        You thought of a song to sing. Glancing to your slightly opened door, you hoped that no one would pass by and hear you sing. That would be embarrassing. You strummed the first note of the song and started to sing. While you were singing, you didn't notice the figure standing outside your door, listening to you.

        Bucky was strolling through the hallways when he had heard the sound of a guitar strumming followed by a voice. " _Tell me your secrets, ask me a question, oh let's go back to the start...._ " He followed the sound, highly intrigued by the melody that was playing. It took him by surprise when the sound came from your room. He slowly walked up to your door and found that it was open. He peeked in and saw you inside. You were sitting on your bed, your back facing the door, with a guitar on your lap.

        As much as he wanted to give you privacy, he couldn't bring himself to walk away. He found it so intriguing that it had made him lean against the wall and close his eyes. He listened to your melodic voice as it echoed throughout your room until you finished strumming.

        Bucky opened his eyes and saw you stand up. You turned around to place your guitar back to its previous spot and walked out of your room, unaware of someone witnessing you sing from the other side of the hallway.

 

Later that night, Bucky is in your room talking about his day and what he had remembered. When he finished, he grew quiet and looked at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

        "Is there something on my face?" you asked, your hand coming up to your face consciously.

        Bucky shook his head. "No, no. It's just...." he sighed. "This is going to sound _really_ unlikely but, will you sing a song?" he asked, refusing to meet your gaze.

        His question took you by surprise. You cleared your throat and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" you asked.

        "I - uh - I heard you singing a while ago."

        Your eyes grew wide and you felt yourself blush. You mentally cursed yourself for leaving the door open. You groaned and hid your face on the pillow. "This is embarrassing." you said, your words slightly muffled on the pillow.

        "No, no.... don't be embarrassed. If it makes you feel any better, you have a good voice."

        This caused you to look up and meet his eyes. You smirked, slightly. "Nice save, Barnes." you said.

        He smirked back. Sighing, you stood up and picked up your guitar. You sat back next to him and positioned the guitar on your lap. Bucky waited for you to play, watching your every move. You took a deep breath and bit your lip, before strumming.

" _In the morning, when you wake up, I like to believe you are thinking of me._  

_And when the sun comes through your window, I like to believe you are dreaming of me._  

_Dreaming, mm, mm._ "

        It felt kind of weird letting Bucky hear you sing. A month ago, you were just introduced to him. And now, here you are, singing him a soundtrack from a movie. But it did feel good, too though. It felt good to know that Bucky trusts you with his problems and have established a friendship with him. Things do happen in the most unexpected ways.

        When you found him looking tired that one night, you felt a pang of guilt and sympathy for the guy. He didn't deserve what he had gone through. He deserved to have lived a simple and happy life where he would've settled down with a woman in the 40s after the war, not the life of an assassin. Every time he would come to you and tell you about his nightmares, it creates a crack in your heart when you see him look so.... hopeless and small.

        So you made a small vow to yourself that you will do as much as you can to help him adjust to this new life and deal with his problems.

        After all, Bucky is now part of your family - The Avengers.

        When you finished singing, you glanced at side and found that Bucky's head was leaning against your waist and his eyes are closed. You watched his chest rise up and fall and figured that he must have fell asleep. You carefully put your guitar on the chair next to you and shifted so you are now lying on the bed, with Bucky still leaning against you (now leaning against the side of your chest).

        You put your arm around him and gently brushed some strands of his hair away from his face. He looked really peaceful when he's asleep. You could almost, like, see the old James Buchanan Barnes in him again.

        You smiled and leaned your head on the top of his head, inhaling the scent of his hair. "Goodnight, Bucky."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you attempted to convince Bucky in joining all of you to dinner.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, you removed your lab goggles and lab coat. Tonight is pizza night. Eager to know what pizza the Avengers have ordered, you made your way to the elevator. You pushed the up button and waited. As you waited for the elevator to arrive, you heard an argument echoing along the hallway. Curiosity got the best of you so you followed the sound.

        You found Steve, who is holding a plate with two pizzas on it, standing in front of Bucky's room. Steve looked exasperated, his free hand coming up to his hair and sighed in frustration.

        "Come on, Buck." he said, gritting his teeth. "It's been a month now, and you are still eating dinner alone."

        "I like being alone."

        "It would really mean a lot to me, personally, if you join us."

        "No."

        Bucky's right hand reached for the plate on Steve's hand, but Steve pulled it back before Bucky could touch it. "No. Not until you come and join us upstairs."

        Before Bucky could have protested, his eyes moved from Steve to your direction. He swallowed his protests and pursed his lips together. Steve followed his gaze and smiles when he spots you.

        "(Y/N), hey." he greeted.

        "Hey, fossils." You walked over to them and smiled. Steve smirked at the nickname while Bucky raised an eyebrow. "What are you two going on about?" you asked. You glanced at the pizzas on the plate and felt your stomach grumble in hunger.

        "I was just trying to convince Bucky here to actually join us to dinner tonight."

        "But?"

        "But he won't cooperate. He's been here with us for a month now, and he's yet to join."

        "Don't want to." Bucky simply said and before Steve knew it, the super-soldier had already taken the plate from him. Steve narrowed his eyes at his best friend as Bucky munched on the pizza.

        You laughed. "I'm sorry Bucky, but I have to take Steve's side on this one. You should really come and join us for dinner. The more, the merrier. Isn't that right, _Mom_?"  you nudged Steve playfully.

        Bucky smirked when Steve rolled his eyes. "Why do you, Tony, and Nat keep saying that?" Steve said.

        You chuckled. "Because it is true. You're the mother. Clint is the father." you said, smirking as Steve only shook his head, muttering under his breath.

        You turned back to Bucky, looking at him with a soft serious look in your eyes. "I mean it, Buck. You should join us." you said.

        Bucky looked at you, as if analyzing you. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "Not gonna happen." he said, stubbornly, and munched on his pizza again.

        You sighed and looked at Steve. "Well, at least we tried." you said, shrugging. Steve nodded and gave you a small smile.

        "See you around, Bucky." you said and nodded at both of them before heading back to the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you and Bucky went jogging.

For some reason, you had woken up early. You usually wake up at 9 in the morning, but today you woke up at 6. Knowing that sleep won't visit you any time soon, you got up from bed and splashed some water on your face to freshen up. You exited your room and headed to the kitchen. No one was up yet so when you got to your destination, the place was quiet.

        "Good morning, Miss (Y/L/N). Would you like a cup of coffee?" FRIDAY asked.

        "Yes, please. Thank you, FRIDAY." you said as you sat on the chair by the counter.

        The robotic hand in the kitchen handed you a freshly brewed coffee in a cup. You smiled and thanked the robot. You blew on the cup and took a cautious sip. Once you felt the warm liquid spread all throughout inside your body, you sighed in satisfaction.

        "Miss (Y/L/N), would you like some breakfast?" FRIDAY asked, once again.

        You shook your head. "Maybe later. When everyone is awake. Thank you, FRIDAY."

        "You're welcome, Miss (Y/L/N)."

        You took a sip on your coffee again and picked up a magazine. Another article about the Avengers, a new trend, new music from another famous artist, the kind of things that you have already read about.

        "You're up early."

        You looked behind you and saw Bucky entering the kitchen. He was wearing a black sleeveless top and a gray sweat pants. You smiled at him. "Yeah. Usually I wake up by 9." you said.

        Bucky nodded and went to make himself a sandwich. "Sometimes past 9." he commented.

        "Blame the Maximoff twins for letting me watch three films every night." you chuckled.

        Bucky made a sound of amusement and went to sit on the chair opposite of you. You sipped your coffee. "So, you and Steve out for a morning jog?" you asked.

        He nodded as he took a bite of his food. "Yeah. Just me, though. The captain is still exhausted from yesterday's mission." he said.

        "That's nice." you said. "Steve does deserve a rest from the missions he has lately been getting."

        Bucky hummed in response and continued eating his sandwich. A comfortable silence grew upon both of you. 

        "If you want, I'll join you." you said, breaking the silence. 

        This caused Bucky to look up and blink at you. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "No. I can manage by myself." he said.

        "Oh come on, please?" you pleaded. "Besides, I need to lose a bit of weight. And I will grab a few things in a shop, after the jog."

        Bucky stared at you as you waited. You didn't realize that you were giving him a puppy dog eye look till you noticed the way his cheeks had turned slightly pink. "Fine." he muttered, looking down at his sandwich as if to hide his face.

        Minutes later, you returned to your room to change. You put on a long-sleeved shirt with black sleeves and a white middle. You also put on a gray trouser, and your running shoes. You tied your hair to a ponytail and grabbed a face towel from your drawers.

        When you were ready, you walked outside and met with Bucky outside the tower. "Ready?" he asked when he saw you exit the main door.

 

It was a good thing that you had brought with you two water bottles because if you haven't, you might have died in thirst already. It slipped past your mind that Bucky here is a super soldier, and a super soldier like him could run for 13 miles. You barely made it past 5. So this is what Sam was talking about, before. And Bucky even had the nerve to tease you and call you "Short legs" when you told him to slow down. Damn him and his capability to run fast.

        Halfway through the 7th mile, you felt your right foot start to ache in pain. "Ow!" you gasped and stopped jogging. Bucky, upon hearing you let out a gasp of pain, turned around and jogged to your side.

        "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

        You shook your head. "No.... my foot.... hurts.... ow!"

        He picked you up in bridal style and carried you to the sidewalk. He set you down gently, and knelt in front of you. You clutched your foot as Bucky examined what was causing your pain.

        "You're experiencing cramps." he pointed out. 

        "Yeah, no kidding."

        Bucky simply positioned your leg so it is lying straight on the ground and removed your shoe. He began massaging your foot to relieve the pain, his fingers pushing down to your ankles and heel. You felt your cheeks turn pink as he did so. You didn't expect this to Bucky, but you were thankful. He pushed it gently towards you and held it for a few seconds, before releasing it. He did this for a few minutes before looking up at you.

        "Does it still hurt?" he asked, concern written all over his face though he hides it with a serious look.

        You shook your head. "A little bit, but I can manage. Thank you." you said.

        He put your shoe back on and tied the shoelaces. He stood up and held your gaze for a moment before reaching his hand out for you to take. "Come on, Short legs. We've got 2 more miles to go." he said, smirking.

        You scowled at the nickname and grumbled under your breath as you took his hand and stood up from the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you witnessed Bucky having an episode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update. Hope you all enjoy it :D
> 
> Warning: Slight usage of bad words (Steve doesn't like that kind of language, apparently)

After eating dinner, you decided to retire early to bed. Natasha pointed out as to why you decided to all of a sudden retire early because you usually join her and the Maximoff twins in watching TV and staying late. You told her that you were still tired from the morning jog with Bucky. She only smirked at you and asked if there's something going on between you and the guy, but you brushed it off and told her that you and Bucky are just friends. 

        Entering your room, you put on a simple gray shirt and pajamas. You climbed onto your bed and lied down, sighing in deep satisfaction as you felt your body melt onto the soft fabric of your sheets. And with that, sleep got to you. 

        You didn't know you fell asleep when the moment you heard shouts and a deafening crash from a room, you were startled awake. You looked around and immediately exited your room. 

        "FRIDAY, what is happening?" you asked as you walked on the hallway. 

        "Mr. Barnes seems to be having an episode in the lounge. Mr. Stark and the others are already there to deal with the problem." FRIDAY informed you. 

        You stopped walking when the AI informed you that Bucky is having an episode. "Oh no...." you said and ran to where the lounge is. 

        As you neared the lounge, an angry shout coming from inside echoed in the hallway which gave you chills. You ran inside and saw the once gorgeous airy lounge thrashed. The sofas were flipped upside down, a broken table, the bar destroyed as the liquid from the bottles drip down on the ground, broken glasses and bottles everywhere, and three huge cracks on walls and floors.

        "Bucky! Calm down! It's me, Steve!" 

        "Frosty, chill out! You're wrecking the place!" 

        "Cap, look out!" 

        "Clint, cover me!" 

        "Ah! Shit!"

        Tony was on the ground with his Iron Man suit on, breathing heavily, Pietro pulled the terrified Wanda behind him and stood in front of her protectively, Sam is kneeling beside Tony and dragging the billionaire away to where the twins are, Vision is trying to protect Tony, Sam, and the twins, Clint, Natasha, and Steve were trying to calm the super-soldier down, who was currently struggling at Nat's fiber wire. 

        "Sam, what is happening?" you asked when you got to Sam's side.  

        "(Y/N)? Don't get too close to them. Bucky is having another episode, but this time much worse. One minute the night seemed peaceful, the next he loses himself and started throwing things and shouting. According to Wanda, he seems to be experiencing memory shortage. Steve tried to calm him down and snap him out of wherever the hell his mind is, but it isn't working. Tony, Clint, and Nat did the same but Bucky was too strong, and violent." Sam explained. 

        Bucky's chest is rising and falling, and his eyes are glazed with fury, as he successfully pried Nat's body off him. He twisted her fiber wire with his metal hand and with his strength, he threw her to the wall. 

        "Nat!" Clint yelled and ran to Nat who groaned in pain. 

        Steve stood across from Bucky, who looked at him the same way he looked at him when he was still following orders from HYDRA. "Bucky, listen to me! You are James Buchanan Barnes! You know me! You know all of us! Snap out of it before you do something you regret!" Steve yelled, looking desperate. 

        "You're my mission." Bucky growled and moved towards Steve with a dangerous look in his eyes. 

        Your eyes grew wide and gasped. You knew that if someone didn't come in between the two super-soldiers, Steve would be left with a lot of bruises, or worst; _dead_.

        "No! Bucky!" you shouted and without hesitation, you ran to both of them, ignoring Sam and Tony's shouting. Bucky's attention turned to you when you ran and stood in front of Steve, protecting him. 

        "(Y/N)? What the hell are you doing?" Steve asked, surprised by your actions. 

        You ignored Steve and maintained eye contact with the man in front of you. "Bucky, listen to me. You are James Buchanan Barnes. You have been staying with all of us here in the Avengers tower for months now, and Steve and I have been helping you remember who you were before and adjust to this new life of yours. It's me, (Y/N). Remember?"

        Bucky growled and raised his metal fist at you both, as he continued moving forward. But before he could hurt you, you fling yourself at his chest, and wrapped your arms around his waist. He fights you, trying to shake you off, but you held on firmly. 

        "Get off me!" Bucky is convulsing in your arms. 

        The more he struggles, the tighter your hold becomes. Slowly, he stops fighting. His raised arm falls limp at his sides. 

        You pulled back and looked up at him. His face is pale and his eyes were wide, as he looked down at you. You raised your hand and hesitantly reached over to place it on his cheek. He visibly flinched a little halfway through so you had to pull your hand back a little before fully touching his cheek. 

        There was a deafening silence. You can only hear Bucky's heavy breathing, and the loud beating of your heart. You looked at Bucky's eyes, searching for any change. When you placed another hand on his cheek, now holding his face, you saw his eyes change back to its normal state. And that's when you knew that the Bucky you know, has returned. 

        "Bucky....?"

        The tension left Bucky as soon as his name slipped past your lips. He blinked his eyes, as if trying to see clearly. There were no more signs of memory shortage or unfamiliarity. "....(Y/N)?" 

        You released a breath that you didn't realize you were holding, and gave him a small smile. "Yes," you nodded. "It's me."

        His human hand comes up fumbling. He slowly places his hand onto yours. His knuckles are a mess, blood staining his fingers. He holds on to your hand, like if he let go, he would be falling into an amidst of darkness waiting to consume him. You rubbed his cheek gently as he leaned against your touch. He released a shaky breath and closed his eyes. He bent down slightly to lean his forehead onto yours. 

        "You're okay...." you murmured. "You're okay." 

        After a moment, Bucky pulled back and looked around the place. He met the cautious yet relieved gaze of the Avengers. Bucky felt ashamed and guilty, at the same time. He looked away and pursed his lips together in a tight line. You noticed this and glanced at everyone in the room. "I'll take him to his room." you told the others. 

        Clint stepped forward. "You sure, (Y/N)?" he asked. 

        You nodded your head. Clint glanced at Steve, who only gave a nod at him then to you. You looked at Bucky, and takes his hand. "Come." you said and headed to Bucky's room, him following you. 

        When you exited the lounge, you felt Bucky lean against you as you two walk down the hallway. You rubbed his palm with your thumb, silently comforting him. You glanced up at him, but he didn't look at you. You squeezed his hand and put your free hand on his forearm, rubbing it gently. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you tried on a new look, and grabbing the full attention of the ex-soldier.

Pepper's birthday soon came. Tony called Pepper to fly back to New York for her upcoming birthday party. At first, Pepper declined saying that she didn't want a glamorous party for her birthday, but knowing Tony, he didn't take no for an answer and persuaded Pepper that it is her special day and he wanted to make it even more special.

        Since the lounge is still undergoing renovation, Tony had to moved the party to a fancy hotel in the city. You were the closest friend of Pepper so Tony had asked you to help him in planning since you knew more about what Pepper likes. All throughout the day, all of you were busy. The other Avengers with training, and you with the planning of Pepper's party. 

        The party starts at 7:30 in the evening and when you glanced at your watch, the time is 5:45 PM. You realized that you were so busy in planning that you had forgotten that you haven't picked out a dress yet. You glanced again at your watch and a minute has passed. You decided that you'll just throw in one of your dresses and do your makeup the same way you always do. 

        While you were deciding on what cuisine to serve for tonight's party, someone tapped your shoulder. You turned around and saw Wanda standing there holding a black dress bag on her shoulder. 

        "Hey, Wanda." you greeted. "What brings you here?"

        "Just here to tell you that Natasha and I have picked out the most stunning outfit for you to wear tonight." 

        Your eyes grew wide. "What? Really?" 

        Wanda nodded, grinning. "Yes, really. Now come on. Nat is waiting for us in a hotel room." she said. 

        You shook your head. "I can't leave yet, Wanda. I'm still not done with deciding on what cuisine the caterers shall serve the guests tonight." you said. 

        Wanda shook her head. "Tony will be here in a few minutes to decide on that." She reached out and grabbed your hand. "Now come on, немного ботаник ( _little nerd_ ). We don't want to keep Nat waiting." 

        You sighed and let Wanda drag you to the elevator. She pressed a button and the elevator music started playing. "By the way, the place looked great! I didn't know you could plan an event that well." she complimented. 

        You smiled, thankfully. "I'm not just a doctor, Wanda." 

        She smiled and waited for the elevator doors to open. When the elevator reached the designated floor, you followed Wanda along the hallway and enter a room. You saw Nat, with a towel wrapped around her hair, sitting in front of a big vanity dresser with lights. Three women were inside and the other one was doing Nat's makeup, while the other two prepped the hair equipments and makeup products. 

        Nat looked over to you and Wanda's reflection when you two entered. "You're here, great!" she said to you. "This is pretty nice, right? We got Tony to organize a hair and makeup artist for us girls for the night." 

        A woman walked up to you and smiled. "Good afternoon, Miss (Y/L/N). I am Bridgit, and I'll be doing your hair and makeup for Mr. Stark's party tonight. Please take a shower as I prepare the tools and makeup products I'll be using." she said. 

        You glanced at your two friends, who were currently being dolled up. "Is this really necessary?" you asked them. 

        "Yes of course," Nat said. "You are not planning to wear one of your vintage dresses for the party tonight, are you? Because if you are, well, we won't let you." 

        You pouted. "I was going to." you mumbled. 

        Wanda heard you and shook her head. "Uh-uh, you are not going to wear those dresses tonight. You have to try on a new look once in a while, (Y/N)." she told you. 

        "This isn't an excuse for you both to give me a makeover, right?" you asked, knowing the answer. 

        "It is." They smirked as you let out a groan. 

        After you took a shower, your hair was wrapped in the same way Nat's hair previously was. You figured that while you were taking a shower, Wanda and Natasha turned the stereo on. Because when you exited the bathroom, "C'mon" by Ke$ha is playing and both of your friends were singing along the music. Bridgit asked you to sit down where Nat was sitting on earlier, and started applying makeup to your skin. Wanda was getting her hair done beside you, while Nat was helping Bridgit on what your makeup would look like. You felt slightly uncomfortable because never in your life have you experienced having a makeover. These are the kind of situations that you see in movies. You were contented with the way you look everyday. But like what Wanda said earlier, maybe it's good to try a new look once in a while. Besides, it's just for tonight, right?

        When the makeup was done, the makeup artist then moved to do your hair. It took about almost two hours for the whole procedure to be done. Once the makeup artists were satisfied with their work, they bid their goodbyes and left the room. 

        "Pietro just texted me that there are guests in the place already." Wanda said and typed a response to her brother's message. 

        Nat looked at you and smirked. "It's time, ladies." she said and grabbed her dress bag from the bed. 

        You untied your robe and pulled the gown out of the bag. You didn't bother to examine it before slipping into it. You asked Wanda to help you zip it up. You put on your high-heeled nude, T-strap sandals before heading to the mirror. 

        "Bucky would be dropping his jaw tonight once he sees you." Wanda commented, smirking, as she and Nat examine you from head to toe. 

        You snickered and shook your head. "Please, there's no need for exaggeration. I highly doubt that he's going to react like that. Nothing even cha---" you halt to a stop as you stared at the girl in the reflection.

        Your hair was curled down and done in a half-up half-down look, with curled tendrils to frame your face. Your makeup was flawless, far much better than you could have ever done yourself, with a soft yet smokey eye and an intense eyeliner which makes your irises pop. Your lips were painted in a deep shade of red.

        The gown itself was gorgeous. It was a navy blue, floor length gown with a gold-tone crystal embellishment, a v neckline with cut-out detail at the front and back. It defined your figure much more. 

        You had never thought you could like your appearance as much as you did right now. 

        Nat walked over and stood behind you with a smirk on her face. "You were saying?" 

 

When the three of you arrived to the party, the guests started to fill in the place. Everyone were dressed in their best formal attires and met up with the people they knew there. You heard a few people commenting on how gorgeous the place was and wondered who had done all the planning. You felt your cheeks turn pink as you listened on. 

        "Ladies," Tony's voice greeted you three from behind. "Are you enjoying yourselves?" 

        "We literally just got here, Tony." Nat pointed out. 

        "I know that." Tony smirked. "Pepper is already here and she said that the place looks great. Good job, (Y/N) - whoa, whoa, _whoa_." he asked, pointing at you. 

        You rolled your eyes at the billionaire. "Yes, Tony. It's me." you said, chuckling. 

        Tony smirked and looked at you from head to toe. "Well, I'd never thought I could live to see the day you would be coming out of your vintage time." he said. 

        "(Y/N)!" You looked over Tony's shoulder and saw Pepper walking over to you. 

        You beamed and grinned. "Pepper!" you squealed and met her halfway. You gave her a long hug. "I missed you so much. How are you?" 

        Pepper pulled back and smiled. "I'm doing great. Seattle is gorgeous. I'll take you there one day." she said. "What about you? How's life here in New York?" 

        You shrugged. "Pretty great. After the battle in Sokovia, the team has been recruiting new agents." 

        "Yeah, I've heard about that. I can't imagine how the people of Sokovia must have felt when they watched their city get destroyed." 

        "Yeah. Kinda like the battle in New York last year." 

        You and Pepper caught up with the times you hadn't spent with each other. After a while, Pepper was called by Tony because she had guests to entertain. 

        "I'll see you later." Pepper told you, and you nodded. "By the way, you look gorgeous." she winked. 

        You laughed and gave her a wave, then watched her walk over to Tony. You looked around to see where your friends are. You found Steve, Sam, and Bucky by the bar, drinking. You smiled and headed to their way. When you came into view, Sam had to take a double take before his eyes grew wide. 

        "(Y/N)? Well, I'd be damned." Sam said as he grinned at you. Steve followed his gaze and smiled at you, charmingly. Bucky, upon hearing your name, looked up and looked at you from head to toe as he slowly put his drink down. Surprise was written all over his face.

        You smiled at them. "Evening, fellas." you greeted as you went to sit on the bar stool in between Steve and Sam. 

        The bartender walked over to you and you asked for a mojito. When you got the drink, you drank it and hummed in satisfaction. 

        "Are you the modern Cinderella of tonight's party?" Sam asked, smiling at you. 

        You laughed and shook your head. "I am hardly a Cinderella, Sam." you told him. 

        "Puh-lease, if you are _hardly_ a Cinderella, then why did Bucky look like his eyes are about to pop when he saw you?" Sam pointed out, smirking. 

        You looked over Steve's shoulder and saw Bucky glaring at Sam with his cold eyes, who let out a laugh with Steve. Bucky grumbled and looked down, drinking his beverage. 

        "Oh come on, leave Bucky out of this. He's just sitting there being quiet and minding his own business." You said.

        Sam and Steve smirked at each other. "Oh, alright, princess. We'll leave your _prince charming_ alone." Sam said and laughed, as he and Steve walked away, leaving you and Bucky alone in the bar. 

        You chuckled and shook your head. Those two can be goofballs sometimes. You looked at Bucky and saw him already looking at you. "Hey, Buck." You greeted. 

        "Hey." he acknowledged. 

        You took in his appearance. He was wearing a suit similar to Steve's but much darker. He had a white dress shirt with a black bow tie around the neck. His jacket's color matched the tie and his pants, and is slightly fitted so it defined his arm muscles. His hair was tied back to a low ponytail and left out short parts of his hair. 

        You had to admit; he looked attractive. 

        "How are you enjoying the party?" you asked. 

        He shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. I'm not really much of a party person. I heard Tony say that you were the one who planned all this." He took a sip of his drink. "You did a good job." 

        You smiled. "Impressed, are you?" 

        He gave you a small smile. "I'm always impressed." 

        You chuckled, and shook your head. "So, Buck. I thought you'd be out on the dance floor all night. There are some gorgeous girls here, tonight." you teased. 

        "Are you trying to set me up?" Bucky asked, the corner of his mouth twitching up as he held a smile. 

        You laughed. "Not at all. But do you want me to?" you said, giving him a sly smirk.

        Bucky smirked. "Shut it, (Y/L/N)." he said and drank his beverage.

        The party went on for a few hours. During those times, most of the male guests had offered you a dance (even the other Avengers - _Rhodey, Steve, Sam, Clint, Pietro, Tony, Bruce_ , even the _Vision_ ). You graciously accepted their hands and danced with all of them. You couldn't stop laughing when Rhodey and Tony had started a dance battle in the dance floor, making the other guests join them and leaving an embarrassed Pepper Potts. Once the dance battle was done (with Rhodey being the winner), you were talking to Maria Hill when someone tapped your shoulder. 

        You turned around and saw the Vision standing there with Bucky beside him. 

        "I am terribly sorry for intruding your conversation with Miss Hill, but I was asked by Natasha and Tony to accompany Mr. Barnes to you. He is asking if you would go and dance with him." Vision informed you. 

        You glanced at Bucky who refused to look at you and stared at something at his right. You looked at Maria, who nodded her head at you and sipped her drink with a faint smirk on her lips. 

        "Um," you nodded your head. "Yeah sure, I'd love to." you said. 

        Bucky looked at you and you smiled. Vision smiled at you and nodded his head at you before walking away. 

        "Let's go?" you asked. 

        Bucky nodded and led you to the dance floor. You both stopped in the middle and faced each other. You placed your left hand on his shoulder and he held your right hand with his left hand. He put his free hand on your back, and you both started dancing. Hesitantly and slowly, at first. 

        "You have to know that I am not a very good dancer." you said as you looked down, making sure that you aren't stepping on his feet. The last thing you want is humiliating yourself in front of the soldier. 

        "There is one thing that I remember," Bucky started, looking down at you. "And that is, it helps if you look at your partner in the eye while you dance." 

        You shook your head, chuckling, and refused to meet his gaze. "That's not gonna happen. The last thing I want is to step on your feet." you said. 

        Bucky let out a small chuckle. "You can step on my foot, any time." 

        Upon hearing this, you looked up at him. You were surprised at how close you two are. Realizing this, you felt a blush creep up onto your cheeks. You cleared your throat and swallowed down the blush, as you raised an eyebrow at him. "I feel like I've heard that in a movie, or something." you pointed out. 

        Bucky only smirked. 

        Dancing with Bucky is great. Like the gentleman he really is, he led you to the dance gracefully. You were feeling nervous at first because you might step on his foot or do something wrong, but Bucky reassured you that you are doing good. Soon, your anxiety faded away. Bucky's advice helped. While you maintained eye contact with him, it felt like you two were the only ones dancing in the room. 

        Just as the melody started to fade, Bucky dipped you unexpectedly, which made you break out in a few giggles. After the dance, you and Bucky joined the other Avengers by the bar and talked about fun stuff. They even had the nerve to tease you both. Nevertheless, the night was spent full of laughter and fun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you wore Bucky's shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanna say how happy I am to see how this story is progressing. Thank you all for the lovely kudos and feedbacks I've been receiving the past few days. Have a good day, everyone! :D

"Seems like you and Frosty are hitting it off quite well." 

        You rolled your eyes at Tony's comment. Ever since the whole team found out that Bucky had been coming to your room every time he had a nightmare, or remembered something; thanks to Steve's suspicion, they've been teasing you non-stop. Especially Wanda, Natasha, and Tony. 

        "Yeah, (Y/N). When's the wedding?" Natasha asked, high-fiving Wanda.

        You almost choked on your drink when you heard her comment. You turned to them and shook your head. "Guys, Bucky and I are just friends. There will be no wedding, alright?" you said, chuckling. 

        Wanda scoffed. "'Just friends', my ass. It's quite obvious that you like him, (Y/N). We've seen the way you two danced in Pepper's birthday party two weeks ago. Needless to say, I didn't have to read your mind to know." she commented. 

        You shook your head. "I do not like Bucky in that kind of way. He's only a friend." you said. 

        The three of them shared a look before laughing, not really believing a word you said. You scoffed and removed your lab coat. "You know what, if you three don't believe me, fine. But I am telling you the truth. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to the groceries with Clint." you said, and headed out. 

        "Defensive much, little mouse?" Tony snickered. 

        "Deny all you want, (Y/N)!" Natasha called out from behind. 

        You shook your head and laughed quietly to yourself when you heard your friends' sentences. 

 

Groceries with Clint are always fun. You both get to act like total goofballs even though you are adults. Always making terrible (yet funny) puns are one of your favorite things to do with him. Sometimes, you two would argue about who is going to say the pun, or whether you are going to add or not going to add a product in the cart which results in to staying an extra time in the grocery store. Clint would also talk about how his family is doing, and you would ask how his children are and when you can visit them again. 

        When you both came back from the grocery, a beaming Tony was the first to greet you both. "Great! You're back. So what did you get for me?" he asked. You tossed him a box of pop tart. 

        Tony grinned. "Been dying to eat one of these lately. Couldn't really get the chance when the Asgardian is here. But he isn't here now, so.... hell yeah!" he said and opened it. After helping Clint put away the groceries, you grabbed the newly bought can of cream and brewed yourself coffee. 

        Tony entered the kitchen minutes later and grabbed the whip cream. "Do you mind?" he asked. 

        "No, go ahead." you said. He pulled out a pastry from the box and squirted the cream on the pop tart, and ate it. He moaned in satisfaction. He raised the can and squirted some in his mouth. 

        "That's disgusting." you wrinkled your nose. "Let me try that." you said and grabbed the can from him. You squirted some on your mouth but a spout came down on your dress. 

        "Damn it." you laughed and wiped the cream off. 

        Tony laughed and mimicked you once more, before turning the can to you. "Lean your head back, I'll do it for you." he said. 

        You shook your head, laughing. "No, I don't trust you. At all." 

        Tony smirked. "Come on." 

        You sighed and tilted your head back. You closed your eyes and opened your mouth wide as Tony began squirting the cream in your mouth. As you expected, the billionaire didn't stop. You began laughing as you felt the liquid overflow in your mouth, down to your neck. Just as this happened, Steve had walked in the kitchen. 

        He looked at you both with a confused expression on his face. Tony stopped squirting and laughed. You swallowed all the cream and looked down to your now cream-stained dress. 

        "Tony, you sly bastard." you said, laughing and wiping off the excess cream on your face. 

        "Capsicle doesn't like that kind of mouth, babe." Tony commented, smirking as Steve rolled his eyes. 

        "I thought we were way past that?" 

        Tony smirked. "I just like bringing it up again. To you know, get you all riled up. Because that is probably one of the best things that have ever happened in the team." he said. 

        "This was my last clean clothing, Tony. I was waiting for Steve to do my laundry." you said. 

        "I'll do your laundry later, (Y/N)." 

        Tony made a face at you as he looked down at your dress. "You look disgusting. Go and borrow one of his shirt for the mean time." he said and smirked. 

        You turned to Steve with a puppy dog eye look on your face. Steve made a mistake to look at you and sighed. You knew that he couldn't resist you when you do that look. You cheered and linked your arm around his and he led you to his room. 

        Steve probably has the cleanest room in the whole team, aside from you. His things are organized and arranged perfectly. His clothes are folded neatly and nice. Even his bed is done neatly. 

        "Alright, let me find a shirt for you to wear." he said and walked over to his drawer. You looked around the room. One painting was hanging on the wall, picture frames were sitting on the nightstand beside his bed, a few folders and a compass was on his desk. You saw a red shirt sitting on the chair. 

        You picked it up and examined it. The shirt had a small set of about four buttons on the neck, and long sleeves with prominent seams. It didn't look like the kind of shirt that Steve wears, but you wondered if the man is trying on a new look. 

        When Steve found a shirt that you could wear, he turned around and was about to tell you that he found one when he saw you holding out and examining Bucky's shirt. He glanced down at his shirt then to the shirt you're holding. He then had a mischievous glint in his eyes, one that he rarely had. He threw his shirt back to his drawer and closed it. 

        "You can wear that, if you want." he said. 

        You looked up at him. "You sure?" you asked. 

        Steve nodded and headed out to the door. "I'll see you later in the lounge." he said and walked out. You headed to your room and took a shower. After showering, you put on the shirt that Steve gave to you. The shirt, of course, was big so it looked like a dress that stopped just on your knees. The long sleeves swallowed your arms that you had to fold the ends of the sleeves to your wrists. Underneath the shirt, you wore your denim shorts and your cat-faced tights. You tied your hair back to a bun and put on your glasses. 

        When you arrived at the lounge, you didn't notice the whole team's gaze at you.

        "(Y/N)?" Pietro asked when you entered the lounge. You smiled at him and waved at everyone, entering the kitchen to grab a snack. 

        "Is that your shirt she's wearing?" you heard Sam ask someone but you didn't bother to look who he was talking to. 

        Grabbing the chips that you had bought, you exited the kitchen and joined the team in the room as they watched a movie. You decided to sit on the arm of the sofa next to Natasha, just a few feet away from Bucky. As you were opening the bag, Tony spoke up. 

        "Alright, I'm just going to cut to the chase." He said, and turned to you. "(Y/N), why are you wearing Bucky's shirt?" 

        You blinked at him, and shook your head. "This isn't Bucky's shirt. Its Steve's." you told him. 

        Tony wiggled his finger at you in a 'No' motion. "Uh-uh, I know Rogers' shirts and _that_ is not one of them." he said. 

        You glanced down to the shirt you're wearing and looked at everyone, who nodded their head. You looked at Bucky, who was watching at you with a slight tingle of pink on his cheeks. Realizing the truth, your cheeks flushed in deep red and your throat became dry. So that's why it didn't look like a Steve-kind-of shirt. Because this shirt, belongs to Bucky. 

        "I - I - I...." you stuttered. 

        "Hey Avengers, what are we watching?" you heard Steve's voice behind you. 

        You slowly turned to face him and had a murderous look in your eyes. Steve's eyes grew wide and glanced Sam, who mouthed a 'She knows' at him. He gulped and let out a shaky laugh. 

        "(Y/N) - hey - we can talk about this...." 

        "STEVEN GRANT ROGERS! YOU BETTER RUN!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Bucky joined you all in dinner.

Steve once complained as to why he always has to cook dinner for everyone every night, so Tony, being a good person for once, made a new rule which he indicates that every night, an Avenger (including you) gets a turn on cooking. Surprisingly enough, most of the Avengers knew how to cook. All except for Thor and Pietro. When it was their turn to cook for everyone (and when Thor is in Asgard), everyone just orders pizza. Bucky didn't participate in this rule because he never joined all of them. 

        Speaking of Bucky, he has been making good progress lately. He has been interacting with everyone but not that much, he's slowly coming out of his small cave and joining the others in the lounge - though he has his own spot and is slightly away from everyone, but he is there. 

        For tonight, you are the chef. The whole team loves it when you cook their food. Whenever it was your turn, they would all be eager to taste the dish you have prepared. 

        The elevator door opened and you stepped out, carrying the grocery bags to the kitchen. When you passed by the sparring room, Pietro and Clint saw you as they were exiting the room. 

        "Oh, hey there,  _printsessa_. What's for dinner?" Pietro asked, beaming. 

        You smiled. "That is a secret, Maximoff. You just have to wait till tonight." 

        Clint smirked. "You better make a dish that will impress me, (Y/N)." 

        You laughed. "Oh please, you are _always_ impressed by my cooking skills. There's no need to deny it, Barton." you said. The three of you laughed as Clint ruffled your hair. 

        The night soon came and you were in the kitchen, preparing everything that you will be using for tonight's dish. After a while, you started cooking with the help of FRIDAY who cited the steps of the food recipe. Soon, the delicious aroma of the dish you were cooking smelled all around the place. 

        "What's the next step, FRIDAY?" you asked the AI. 

        "Simmer for 15 minutes, and start chopping the carrots and potatoes." The female AI informed you. 

        You closed the lid of the pan and pulled out the vegetables from the fridge. While you chopped the vegetables, you heard the door of the dining room open followed by voices chatting. You glanced behind you and saw the Avengers walking inside. You didn't see Bucky, though. But you expected that, since he doesn't want to join all of you to dinner. 

        "That smells delicious!" you heard Natasha comment from the dining room. You smirked as you placed the carrots and potatoes inside the pan. 

        "Hey (Y/N), if we get the dining room smelling like this every night, I'd let you cook dinner for all of us forever. What do you say?" Tony asked. 

        You shook your head as if they could see you. "Not a chance, Stark." you said. 

        After an hour of hearing whines coming from the dining room saying that when is the food going to be finished, the dish was done. You put the dish to a large serving bowl and brought it to the dining room. 

        "Quit your whining. The food is done." You told all of them when you exited the kitchen. 

        All of them cheered as you placed the bowl on the middle. 

        "This smells delicious." 

        "Can I dig in now?" 

        "You have to tell me what this recipe is." 

        "What is this called?" 

        "I think I'm about to release." 

        "You just had to make it weird, huh?" 

        Looking at all of them, they looked like children who have been waiting for their mother's dish to be finished. And to think these people are the Earth's mightiest heroes. You chuckled at the thought and removed your mittens. "Alright, alright, chill out. Bruce, hand me your plate." you said as you grabbed a serving spoon from the kitchen. 

        While you were serving the food to everyone, the door in the dining room opened. Everyone looked over to the direction of the door and saw Bucky entering the room. He saw all of you looking at him in surprise. He closed the door gently and rubbed the nape of his neck as he stood there, not saying a word. When his gaze met yours, you gave him a warm smile, knowing exactly why he was there. 

        "Here to join us, Buck?" Steve asked the obvious.

        Bucky didn't say anything, but he did nod his head. 

        "For the first time in forever, Elsa decided to ditch his cave join us." Tony commented, smirking. 

        Bucky only narrowed his eyes at the billionaire. You laughed and tilted your head to the side. "Come on, Buck. There's a space here for you." you said as you gestured to the chair in front of you. You were glad that Bucky decided to join all of you for dinner. You wondered what made him change his mind. 

        He walked over to the chair in between your chair and Sam's. He hesitated at first before sitting down. You served him the dish you cooked. After you did this, you placed a hand on his shoulder. "Glad you could join us, Buck. Eat up and enjoy." you said and smiled down at him before going back to the kitchen to fix the things you used there. 

        You heard someone enter the kitchen. You turned around and saw Steve standing there with a glass on his hand. 

        "Hey, Steve." you greeted. "Why aren't you out there eating?" 

        "I'll just grab the pitcher of water then bring it to the table." he said. 

        You nodded your head. "Alright then."

        He was silent for a while, just looking at you with a small smirk on his face. You raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything I can help you with, Cap?" you asked. 

        Steve shook his head. "No, no. It's just that lately, Bucky's been making good progress. I just wanna say thank you for that." he said, smiling. 

        You gave him a confused look. "Why are you thanking me?" you asked. 

        "For helping Bucky, even though he can be a pain in the ass sometimes." he said. As you heard this, you let out a soft chuckle, nodding in agreement. 

        "You know," Steve started. "It's interesting to see Bucky to be in his best behavior when you're around." 

        You shook your head, removing your apron. "That's not true. Bucky's always in his best behavior with or without me." 

        "That's where you're wrong, doc. A while ago he was about to strangle the life out of Tony if you hadn't butted in between them. He's my best friend, (Y/N). And I know when something is unusual. He tries his hardest to be civil towards the other agents in the tower even though he wanted to glare at them for being too close to him, because apparently you asked him to tone down his hard and cold exterior. If I or any other people here in this tower said this to him, he would brush it off and continue what he is doing. But with you, boy," Steve releases an amused sigh. "He follows you just like that." 

        You and Steve walked out of the kitchen and headed back to the dining room. You laughed and shook your head, not believing him. "That's not because of me, Steve. Bucky's his own man. If he wanted to be like that, he will be. With or without my help." you told him. 

        Steve only smirked, and pointed at something in front of you both. "Really? Well, he might just stare at you for no reason, then." 

        You followed his gaze and saw the super-soldier looking at you across the room. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you cried in front of Bucky.

"So, Buck. How are you and (Y/N) doing?" 

        Steve's question caught Bucky off guard which made him halt his punching on the bag in front of him. He looked over to the captain who was lifting a barbel. 

        "What are you getting at?" Bucky asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

        Steve raised his free hand in surrender, chuckling at his friend's reaction. "Nothing. Just wanna ask." he said.

        Bucky stared at him for a few seconds before looking away. "We're good." he said, resuming his fighting stance.

        Steve only smirked and changed the topic. 

 

After an hour in the gym room, Bucky and Steve went on their separate ways. Bucky decided to take a shower first to get rid off the sweaty scent he had before visiting you in your room. 

        When he finished, he shut the door closed and walked down to your hallway. He reached your door and knocked. He waited for a few seconds before knocking again. He figured that you must have fallen asleep so he opened your door and peeked inside. The room was dark and there was no sign of you inside. 

        Closing the door, he wondered if you were still in your lab, working late again. So he went there. When he got to your lab, he was surprised to find it dark and closed. He peeked inside from the lab window and didn't find you there. Bucky suddenly felt worried. Where could you have possibly gone to? He went to the places you usually go but never saw you in one of those places. 

        When he entered the lounge, he looked around the place and saw a person at the balcony. He moved towards the balcony door and squinted his eyes to see who the person was. It was you. You were sitting on the floor with your legs dangling on the edge of the balcony, and your arms propped up to the railings. 

        Bucky approached you and sat down beside you. He hesitated at first to put his hand on your shoulder, but did it anyway. At the contact, it caused you to jump on your spot looking startled. You relaxed when you saw that it was only Bucky. You removed your earphones and smiled weakly at him. "Hey Bucky." you said. 

        The moment Bucky saw your tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes from crying, concern spread throughout his face. 

        You sniffed and wiped away a tear that fell. "What brings you here? Everything okay?" your voice came out hoarse and shaky. 

        "I should be asking you the same question." 

        You let out a small chuckle at this, and looked down on your lap before shaking your head. "I'm okay. It's nothing." you said, trying hard to calm yourself down. 

        "I know nothing when I see it, (Y/N). And this isn't 'nothing'." Bucky told you with a faint smirk on his face. 

        You looked up at him and gave him a small smile. You took a deep breath and looked out to the city in front of you as the lights stood out from the dark night sky. You cleared your throat. "Hmm.... how do I say this - uh...." 

        Bucky waited patiently for you to tell him. You inhaled and let out a shaky breath. "My father..... died." you said, holding back a sob. 

        Silence dawned over you both once you spoke. Bucky's shoulders slumped down when you told him the news. He bit the insides of his cheeks and looked at you, sadly. He shifted uncomfortably on his spot, feeling guilty for asking what was wrong. "How did he...." 

        You sniffed and swallowed a lump on your throat. "He was ill. He was rushed to the emergency room yesterday and the doctors said that he needed to stay in the ICU first so they can check on him." you told him, trying your very best to stay strong. 

        "I'm so sorry, (Y/N)." Bucky said, quietly. 

        You gave him a weak smile. "It's okay. At least now, he's in a better place." you said. 

        Bucky slowly nodded his head. "How bad was his illness?" he asked. 

        You let out a sad smile. "Pretty bad." You said, staring off at a distance. "He was a smoker, that's one of the reasons why he fell ill. His lungs started to have water in them, and his heart started enlarge. He also lost a lot of weight during those times..." you paused, hearing your voice crack. "His illness grew worse and worse everyday till...." 

        At this moment on, you broke apart completely. "I didn't even got the chance to see him before he left." you cried out. 

        Bucky immediately wrapped his arms around you. You cried onto his chest, gripping the shirt he's wearing, as he brought you to his lap and cradled your crying body. 

        He rubbed your back comfortingly and whispered onto your hair with comforting words. As soon as Bucky saw you completely break down, he felt a piece in him crack. Seeing you like this, and remembering your jolly aura, made him think that you are human, too. And that sometimes, the happiest people have their saddest days, too. 

        "I miss him, Buck." you sobbed. "I miss him." 

        "Shh...." Bucky soothed. "I know, I know. Let it all out, (Y/N). I'm here." 

        You and Bucky stayed in the balcony for a long time. He did all his best to comfort you as you cried. His legs felt a little bit numb but he didn't give it much of a thought. The important thing was to give you comfort, as much as he can. 

        "I'm leaving tomorrow." you spoke once you had calmed down. 

        You felt Bucky tense up upon hearing this. He blinked and cleared his throat. "How long will you be gone?" he asked. 

        "Two weeks."

        "Two weeks." he muttered. 

        Silence fell upon you both. You'll be gone for two weeks which means he won't be seeing you by then. He let out a sigh, which made you look up at him. He seemed off for a moment. 

        "You okay, Bucky?" 

        He looked at you and nodded. 

        You gave him a small smile. "I won't be gone that long, Buck." you said. 

        He hummed in response. Another silence fell upon both of you before he broke it a minute later. He picked up your phone and went to your 'Contacts'. He typed in a number in your phone and saved it as _BUCKY_.

        "That's the number of the phone in my room. Call me when you have free time there." he told you, handing you your phone. 

        You stared at your screen then looked up at him with a smile. You pulled out a sharpie that you always carry around with you from your pocket and held his right hand. Bucky was slightly surprised by this. You began scribbling your cellphone number on his hand. 

        "You can call me, too." you said as he looked at the number on imprinted on his hand. 

        Bucky nodded. "I will." 

        "Ever tried to own a cellphone?"

        "Yeah. Too damn complicated for a guy like me." 

        This caused you to laugh, despite your sadness. Bucky watched you with a smile on his face. When your laughter died down, you looked at Bucky with a soft and grateful smile. 

        "Thank you." you told him.

        "For what?" 

        "For being there for me." 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you and Bucky are apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! An update. I didn't get to update that this fic last week because I had a flu (and still do but I'm feeling better). Hopefully, I'd get to update more often again. 
> 
> Anyways, here's chapter 12. I hope you guys will like it! :D

Morning came and you were in your room packing the essentials you'll be bringing for your trip back home. Bucky was really helpful yesterday. He comforted you all night, and even carried you to bed and stayed with you until you fell asleep.

        Zipping your bag shut, you took a deep breath. You exited your room and decided to say goodbye to your friends. When you entered the lounge, you saw them stand up and looked at you with a sad expression on their faces. Natasha walked over to you and embraced you. You returned the hug and soon all the Avengers joined in the hug, except for Bucky and the Vision. 

        "My deepest condolences." Vision told you. You smiled and mouthed a 'thank you'. 

        When the others pulled back, you smiled at all of them. "I'll be back in two weeks." you told them. 

        Wanda and Nat gave you one last hug before letting you go. You smiled at all of them and headed out. "Have a safe trip, Miss (Y/L/N)." FRIDAY said when you were in the elevator. 

        "I will. Thank you, FRIDAY." 

        Once you were out of the Avengers tower, you took a deep breath, inhaling the warm atmosphere of the busy city of New York. Cars were passing by, and people were minding their own businesses. You walked forward and stopped by the sidewalk, waiting for a cab to stop.

        You saw a cab from a distance and hoped that the cab has no passenger in it. 

        "(Y/N)!" 

        You looked back and saw Bucky exiting the tower and ran to you. He stopped in front of you as you turned around. He was holding a bright baby blue cloth on his hands. 

        "Hey, Buck." You greeted. "What are you doing here?" 

        "I - uh...." Bucky looked down at the cloth he was holding. "You dropped your handkerchief earlier." he said, handing you the cloth. 

        You took the cloth and smiled at him. "Oh, thank you." You said, then looked at him with a teasing glint in your eyes. "You didn't use my handkerchief as an excuse to be with me, right?" you teased. 

        Bucky chuckled and smirked. "No, ma'am. Not at all." 

        You and Bucky stood there chatting for a bit as you waited for a cab. As usual, you did all the talking but Bucky let out a few responses and chuckles, but you did almost everything. Finally, a cab halted by your spot and the driver rolled down the window. "Need a ride, miss?" the driver asked. 

        You turned around and nodded your head. "Yes, please. To the airport?" The driver nodded and exited the vehicle to help you put your bag in the trunk. When you successfully put the bag inside, you faced Bucky and gave him a warm smile. 

        "Well this is it," you said, to which he nodded. "See you in two weeks?" 

        You held out your hand for him to shake. Bucky glanced down to your hand before reaching out his hand to shake yours, hesitantly. When his hand touched yours, you grinned and shook it gently before pulling away and entering the vehicle. 

        Once seated, you looked out the window and waved at Bucky, as the cab began to drive away to the airport. 

 

 

The flight back home took about six hours so you got there by early night time already. Jet lag was still in your system but you fought it and made it to your mother's home in one piece. When you entered the place, the first thing you saw was your father's coffin with flowers surrounding it, and a few faces that were familiar and unfamiliar. 

        "(Y/N)?" 

        You turned around and saw your mother standing there. She had dark circles under her eyes and faint lines of wrinkles. Your eyes teared up when you met her gaze. You walked up to her and gave her a hug. You spent the night talking to her and crying when she told you about your father's last words, and his last memories. Most of the guests there recognized you as a person that helps the Avengers and kept bombarding you with questions as to how you are coping with it, and one even had the nerve to ask if Tony Stark had tried to make a move on you (since he is — _was_ , as you had corrected the relative, a playboy.), while the others barely even recognized you. 

        The days went by fast. During those days, it was filled with sorrow, happiness, grieving, and catching up with stuff that you missed during your time in New York. Your mother asked you how the heroes are and you told her that they are all doing okay. You even told her about meeting the ex-Winter soldier, to which she gasped in surprise. She began bombarding you with questions like did he hurt you, did he do something bad to you, blah, blah, blah, but you reassured your mother that Bucky had done nothing but put a smile on your face every time you are with him. 

        Things weren't easy, for you at least. Every time you pass by your dad's coffin, you feel like breaking down and not able to accept the fact that he is gone. You decided to retire early for the night, and told your mom about this. She understood with one simple look and gave you a hug. You gave her a weak smile and headed to your old room upstairs. You left the air-condition on earlier, so when you got to your room, the cold atmosphere hit your skin. You changed into your sleep clothes and jumped onto bed, staring at the ceiling as you took a deep breath. 

        The silence that settled upon you was broken when you heard your phone buzz. You picked it up from the nightstand next to you and answered it, without looking at the caller ID. 

        "Hello?" 

        " _Hey._ " 

        You almost topple off the bed. You looked at the screen and saw Bucky's name on it. 

        "Hey." you greeted back. 

        " _It worked._ " You heard him say from the other line. " _Thought this phone was broken when it didn't reach you the first time I tried. I realized that I dialed the wrong number._ " he said. 

        You let out a laugh which is a burst of static across the line and you brought your knees up and put an arm on your head. "At least now you got it right." you said. 

        Bucky chuckled. " _Yeah.... I did._ " 

        You've gotten so used to seeing him in person and talk to him in person, that it feels startling than you had pictured, talking to him on the phone. But it's not bad. 

        " _How are you?_ " he asked, his voice coming out quiet and almost tired. 

        "I'm doing okay. Well, sort of. Feels weird to be back since I've been gone for so long. Mom's been busy entertaining the guests here, while I am here sulking." 

        " _I'm sorry about that._ " 

        "Nah, it's okay. I'll get by. I always do." 

        Silence fell upon between you two again. 

        You cleared your throat. "So how's life there in New York? How are you and the others?" 

        He lets out a laugh — one that is genuinely amused. " _Peachy. The others are still slightly sad because their favorite doctor isn't here, but everything's okay._ " he said. 

        You smirked, though you know that he can't see it. "Are they giving you a headache? You seem tired."

        He snorts. " _They haven't given me any headache since you left, which is absolutely great. Not the part where you left, okay? What I meant was the part where they—_ " 

        You laughed and shook your head, cutting him off. "I know what you mean, Buck. No need to ramble on a few words." 

        He hummed in response but you could tell that he was holding back a laugh. Another silence falls upon you both. But this silence is a much more comfortable one. 

        " _Tell me about your day._ " 

        And you do. 

        When you finished telling him about your day, you absentmindedly released a yawn. You were still a bit tired from the happenings during the past few days. 

        " _Judging by that yawn, you seem tired. You should get some sleep._ "

        You shook your head. "Nah, I'll be fine. I still got a lot of energy." But as you said this, you could feel another yawn coming. 

        Bucky makes a sound of unconvinced. " _Yeah, right._ " he said. 

        You sighed and shook your head. "Fine. I may be a little bit sleepy." you murmured, pouting slightly. 

        " _A little bit?_ " You could feel a smile on his face as he said this. 

        You scowled playfully at the ceiling. "Stop it, Barnes." you scolded, chuckling. 

        You both chuckled at the same time before the laughter slowly faded away. " _Get some sleep, doll._ " 

        Your eyes grew slightly at the nickname he gave you. A small smile made its way on your lips. "'Doll'? That's new." 

        " _Would you prefer 'Short legs'?_ " 

        "Way to ruin the moment, Buck."

        He laughed. His voice sounds closer, like he's leaning into the receiver.  " _Goodnight, (Y/N)._ " 

        You smiled and did the same. "Goodnight, Bucky." 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Bucky joins you and Clint to his family farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all excited for Captain America: Civil War? Because I sure am! I'm seeing it tomorrow and I'm very much prepared for the hurricinado of feels that will hit me during the movie. 
> 
> BRING IT ON CIVIL WAR! I'M READY FOR YA!

Two weeks have gone by and after a whole week of mourning and grieving, you finally accepted the reality. After the funeral, you stayed with your mother and sister for a few more days cleaning and catching up with all of them. You treated them to shopping around the place, and even bought them things that they need before you left for New York. 

        When you arrived in the Avengers tower, the whole team were there to greet you. Natasha and Wanda were the first to greet you since they missed you the most. Things went back to normal, after that. 

        You were in your lab, designing a new weapon for Nat to use, when Clint walked in the place. You looked up from the tools you were holding and smiled at him. "Hey, Clint." you greeted. 

        "Hey." he greeted and walked up to you. "What'cha working on?" 

        "Nat asked me if I could customize her gun and upgrade it." 

        He nodded his head, understandingly. You looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, Clint?" you asked. 

        Clint looked at you and shook his head. "No, no. Not at all. It's just...." he sighs. "It is Laura and I's anniversary today and I wanted to take her out tonight for a nice dinner, and do all those cliche stuff you watch in movies. But no one's going to watch the kids while we're out. So I came here to ask if you can watch the kids tonight since you did mention before that you wanted to see them again." 

        You blinked at him, and smiled. "Oooh, a date with Mrs. Barton. That's nice. Sure, I'll watch the kids tonight. When do we leave?" you asked. 

        Clint's cheeks turned slightly pink when you teased him but he swallowed it. "I was thinking in a few minutes so that we'll arrive there in approximately at sunset." he said. 

        You nodded your head. "Yeah, sure. Nat's gun can wait. I'll just tell her that I'm going with you." 

        Clint grinned. "Thanks, (Y/N). I'll wait for you in the lounge." 

        "Any time, Clint." 

        When he walked out of the lab, you examined the gun one last time before removing you lab coat and placing it on the coat stand by your lab's door. You grabbed your bag and headed to the lounge to where Clint is. 

        Entering the lounge, you saw Clint talking to Steve by the bar. You walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Clint. I'm here." you said. 

        "Oh, great! Cap, I'll send you an email of that file you were talking about later. (Y/N) and I are off somewhere." Clint said, patting Steve's shoulder. 

        "Off to where?" 

        The three of you glanced at the side to see Bucky walking down the stairs and stop beside you. He glanced at Clint, to Steve, then to you. 

        "Hey, Buck." you greeted. "Clint and I are going to his homestead to visit his family." you said, to which Clint nodded. 

        Bucky furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "But you just got back a week ago. You're leaving again?" he asked. 

        You failed to notice the exchange of look between the captain and the archer. You chuckled and shrugged. "Only for a short time, Buck. I'll be back by tomorrow morning, I think." you said. 

        Bucky pursed his lips and looked down on the ground with a slight glare on his eyes. He seemed to be thinking of something which you don't know what is. You glanced at Clint, who was smirking at him. "Hey Barnes, you're welcome to join us so you don't have to mope around the tower all day, thinking that your precious angel is not with you again." he commented.

        You felt your cheeks turn pink at this and looked at Clint with wide eyes. He only winked at you and looked at Bucky whose head looked up at the comment and glare at him. You shook your head and cleared your throat. "Stop it taunting the poor guy, Clint." you said. 

        Soon, Bucky silently followed you and Clint to the quinjet. You decided to fill in Bucky about your trip to Clint's farm in the country, while waiting for the quinjet to land on your destination. He listened attentively as you did so.

        "I didn't know Barton has a family." Bucky pointed out. 

        "Neither did we, at first." 

        Clint was right. By the time you arrived at the farm, the sun is beginning to set. You felt the quinjet touch down the ground and you stood up, looking at Bucky. "We're here." you said. 

        The quinjet door opened and you walked out, your skin immediately being greeted by the warm breeze of the wind in the place. You looked around and smiled at the view. The house looked peaceful from a distance as it was surrounded with the green grass and trees. There is also a barn not far from the house. 

        You followed Clint to the house. Bucky took a look around as he followed just behind you. The three of you entered the house, with Clint calling out his wife's name. 

        A woman walked out of the kitchen and grinned when she saw Clint. "Clint!" she greeted, as she walked over and gave her husband a hug. Clint smiled and kissed the top of her head. 

        The woman met your gaze and she gasped as she pulled back from her husband. "(Y/N)?" she asked. 

        You smiled and nodded. "Hello, Laura." you greeted. 

        "Wow! How have you been?" She grinned and embraced you. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. It's so nice to see you." she said. 

        "It's nice to see you, too, Laura. You're still lovely as ever." you complimented. 

        She smiled. "Thank you, (Y/N). You, too. Last we seen each other was when Clint brought you and the Avengers here. Oh, it's so good to see you. We have a lot of things to catch up on." she said. 

        You laughed. "Yes, we do." 

        Her gaze shifted to something behind you. She squinted her eyes slightly. "Who is he?" she asked, pointing at Bucky who was standing behind you. 

        "Oh Laura, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is Laura Barton. Clint's wife." You introduced. 

        Bucky nodded his head at her. "Ma'am." he acknowledged. 

        Laura's eyes slightly grew wide as she looked at her husband. "Is he....?" Clint nodded, understanding what she is pointing out. "Oh wow. Nice to meet you, Bucky." she said, waving at him. 

        Judging by the surprised look that Laura gave Bucky, hew knew that she recognized him. He shifted uncomfortably on his spot and averted his gaze from the woman. You looked over to Clint and he immediately changed the conversation. 

        "So Laura, since today is—"

        The sound of footsteps running down the stairs was heard all over the house till the four of you turned around to see two kids running over to Clint. 

        "Daddy!" they both exclaimed as they embraced Clint. 

        Clint beamed and bent down to greet his kids. "Hey there, guys. How are you?" he said, kissing their heads. 

        "Did you bring Auntie Nat and Auntie (Y/N)?" the little girl asked, looking up at him. 

        You grinned and placed your hands on your hips. "Why don't you hug her and find out, sweetheart?" you said, making the children's attention go to you. 

        The little girl gasped. "Auntie (Y/N)!" she exclaimed as she ran over to you and gave you a hug. You laughed and picked her up from the ground and spun her around, making her giggle. 

        You put her down and knelt in front of her. "How are you, sweetie?" you asked. 

        "I'm doing okay. By the way, I got my tooth out recently. Look!" she said, grinning and pointing at the side of her mouth. 

        "Wow! That's great! Did you get a visit from the tooth fairy?" 

        "Yes." She giggled. 

        You laughed and glanced behind you. "Bucky, come here. I want you to meet Lila." you said. 

        Bucky shook his head. "I'm okay here." 

        You pouted. "Oh come on, it's alright. Lila's a sweetheart. You'll like her." you said. 

        He hesitated for a few seconds before walking over to you. "Lila, this is Bucky, my best friend. Bucky, this is Lila." 

        Lila grinned and waved up at him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bucky." she said, giggling. 

        Bucky gave her a small smile. 

        After getting acquainted with the children, Clint pulled Laura to the side with you and Bucky. "So Laura, as I was saying earlier, since today is our anniversary, I want to treat you to a nice dinner tonight." he told her. 

        Laura looked surprised at this and felt her face flush in pink. "Oh.... I didn't expect that from you. But we can celebrate our anniversary here in the house. Why must we go out?" 

        "Because I want to do something special for my wife once in a while." 

        You aww'ed at this. "Just say yes, already. Jeez." you said, chuckling. 

        Laura smiled and chuckled. "You still got your charm, Hawkeye." 

        Clint smirked. 

        "But what about the kids? Who's going to look after them while we're out?" She asked. 

        You raised your hand. "Bucky and I will." 

        "Are you sure that's okay, (Y/N)? I don't wanna bother you or anything." 

        "Oh pish-posh. I am absolutely up for babysitting your children. Plus, I've been dying to spend time with Lila, Cooper, and even Nathaniel. Which brings me the question, hey Clint, when are you going to tell Pietro that you named your son after him?" you asked, smirking. 

        Clint scoffed. "The quick bastard would only torment me about it." 

        You and Laura laughed at this. She turned to you and held your hand. "Thank you so much, (Y/N)." she said. 

        Soon after, Laura had changed into a nice dress for her dinner date with Clint. She told you that there are leftovers in the fridge for dinner tonight, and the bed time schedule of the kids is on 7 PM. You accompanied the couple as they left the house and waved at them, calling out a "Have fun on your date!". 

        You turned back to the house and saw Bucky sitting on the couch with Lila sitting on his left and Cooper sitting on the right. 

        "Are you a knight, Mr. Bucky?" Lila asked, innocently. 

        Bucky looked at her in confusion. "No?" 

        "But your arm is metal, and don't knights have a metal thingy-majig on their body?" 

        "'Thingy-majig'? I don't understand." 

        You laughed at this. You found it rather adorable when Bucky's nose scrunched up at what Lila said. 

        Throughout the whole late afternoon, the children suggested to play hide-and-seek and tag. In the middle of the game, you noticed Bucky's discomfort. You walked up to him and and reassured him that this place is safe and that Lila and Cooper are really nice. Soon enough, Bucky slowly warmed up to the kids, giving Lila piggy back rides and playing pretend spies with them. 

        While they were outside playing, you decided to check on Nathaniel. You entered the nursery quietly and saw the baby awake and attempting to sit up and reach for the stuff toy beside him. When he saw you, he blinked as he stared at you. 

        "Hello there, little angel." You greeted, gently caressing the baby's chubby arms. "How are you? I'm Auntie (Y/N). The coolest aunt, ever." you chuckled. 

        At this, Nathaniel looked like he wanted to giggle. His small hands opened and closed as he reached out to touch your forearms. You picked him up gently from his crib and and cradled him. You began murmuring and making faces to make the baby laugh, to which he did. 

        You nuzzled your nose to his and grinned when he let out a cute giggle. You pulled out your phone and took a quick selfie with the baby and sent it to Nat. 

        Lila entered the room after you sent the photo. "Auntie (Y/N)?" she asked. 

        "Yes, sweetie?"

        "I asked Mr. Bucky a question and he told me to go to you for the answer." 

        "What's the question?" 

        "What's a soulmate?" 

        You blinked at the girl, and smiled. So that's why Bucky couldn't answer the girl. "Why do you ask?" 

        "I've heard Dad say this to Mom before and when I asked her what's the meaning of it, she told me that she'll explain when I'm older. But the question hasn't slipped my mind since that day. So I was wondering if you could tell me." she explained. 

        You smiled and sat down on the window pane. She sat down in front of you as you put Nathaniel on your lap. 

        "Well," you started, "A soulmate is like a best friend but more. It's the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else. That someone who makes you a better person." you explained. 

        Shaking your head, you chuckled, "No, actually they don't make you a better person. You do that by yourself because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knew you, accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would." 

        You smiled softly at her, continuing, "And no matter what happens, you'll always love them and nothing could ever change that." 

        Lila looked at you with admiration. "Wow...." she murmured, taking it all in. Then she looked up at you. "So that means, Mom and Dad are soulmates?" she asked. 

        You smiled. "Precisely." 

        "What about you and Mr. Bucky?" 

        You let out a chuckle at this, and shook your head. "No, no, we aren't soulmates." 

        "But you said that he's your best friend. And a soulmate is a best friend but more." 

        "It's different, Lila. Bucky and I aren't together." 

        "You didn't say that you have to be together to be soulmates."

        Her comeback made you stare at her in astonishment. Because it was true. Soulmates doesn't always mean that two persons has to be together to be one. This made you think that Lila do have her father's attentiveness. 

        "You got me good there, kid." You said, smirking. "But I'm telling you, Bucky and I are not soulmates. Now come on, let's call the boys for dinner." 

        Lila nodded and you both stood up. You shifted the baby to your hip as you walked down the stairs. 

        Dinner was finished after an hour and you gave Nathaniel a bottle of milk, to which he had fallen asleep a few minutes later while holding it. You tucked him to bed, before joining the others downstairs. Throughout the whole evening, the four of you played board games and charades. 

        Soon enough, the kids grew tired and sleepy. So you and Bucky carried them to their rooms and tucked them to bed. You said your goodnight's and kissed them on their foreheads, before exiting the room. 

        "Today was fun, wasn't it?" you asked Bucky when you two entered the living room. 

        Bucky smiled and looked at you. "Yes." 

        You smiled at his honest answer and plopped down on the couch. "So what do you want to watch, Barnes?" 

        When Clint and Laura came back from their date, they found you and Bucky on the couch with the TV on showing the credits of the film that you two watched. You were curled up to Bucky with your head on his shoulder while his arm were around you and his head resting on top of yours. 

        Laura looked at Clint. "And you say they are not together?" 

        Clint smirked and kissed his wife's head. "They are not together.... _yet._ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add the famous line in Dawson's Creek, because I figured that the line suited for the bond of the reader and Bucky :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Sam and Steve made a bet on Bucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I just watched Civil War in the cinemas a while ago. 
> 
> It was frigging awesome.

Bucky, Steve, and Sam were in the quinjet, suiting up for the upcoming mission. Fury had given them orders to infiltrate a base and download a data for the new facility. He told them that they had to skip breakfast and arrive there early because the people there tend to pack up their stuff and disappear, leaving the base spotless clean from any evidence. 

        Steve and Sam were discussing about the Saturday night out for guys only when Bucky approached them and said that he'll be back in a few minutes, before walking away. 

        The two watched the retreating figure of their friend, as he entered the tower again. Steve smirked and glanced at Sam. "Ten bucks says he'll be going to (Y/N)." he said. 

        Sam smirked. "You're on, cap." 

 

You were in the kitchen, washing the dishes and utensils, when you heard someone enter the premises. You looked over your shoulder and saw Bucky standing there, wearing his suit. 

        "Oh hey Buck," you greeted as you rinsed your hands and wiped them dry on a kitchen towel. "I thought you, Sam, and Steve left for the mission?" 

        "Yeah, yeah, but I - uh, forgot my gun in my room." Bucky said. 

        "Oh, alright." You nodded your head. "Oh by the way, these paper bags are yours and the two guys. Inside are your breakfasts. I figured that since you three didn't eat the most important meal of the day, why not have a packed breakfast for you guys to eat while on flight. You three need enough stamina during the mission. Also, I added a few snacks in there, too. In case, you know, you three get hungry after the mission." you said. 

        You handed him the paper bags filled with food. Bucky looked at them then to you. He gave you a lopsided smile. "You know, Steve and I are super soldiers. We can last a day and a half without eating." he commented. 

        You pursed your lips and scowled at him, playfully. "I don't care if you both are super soldiers or gods. Health is health." you reprimanded, placing a hand on your hip. 

        Bucky smirked. "And you say Steve's the mother in this team." 

        You hit his arm. "Don't be mean, jerk." 

        You two laughed. When your laughter died down, you gave him a soft smile and stepped forward and placed your hand on his arm. "Stay safe. All three of you." you told him. 

        Bucky nodded and glanced at your hand on his arm, before slowly placing his on top. You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. Bucky, at first, was surprised by this sudden gesture but returned the hug. He wrapped his arms around your waist and brought you closer. You stood on your tiptoes and hugged him tighter. He absentmindedly buried his face on your neck as you ran your fingers through his hair. 

        When you pulled back, you smiled and stepped back. "Go get 'em, tiger." you said. 

        Bucky returned to the quinjet minutes later and had to suppress the smile growing on his face. 

        "Hey, Buck!" Steve greeted, patting his shoulder. "Where'd you go?" 

        Bucky handed Sam and Steve the paper bags he was carrying and went to sit on one of the chairs in the jet. Just as he was about to pull out the container inside, he heard Sam curse and handed Steve money before joining his side, mumbling under his breath. 

        "Did I miss something?" Bucky asked, confused. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you surprise Bucky with your skills in combat.

Steve wanted to show Bucky around the new Avengers facility in Upstate New York. The facility was once owned by Tony's father, Howard Stark. After the battle in Sokovia, the Avengers used the facility as a new base for science research, military training, weapon development, and training of the team and the new recruits. The new facility is run by Nick Fury, Helen Cho, Maria Hill, and Erik Selvig. 

        You went there with Steve, Bucky, and Wanda because you had to retrieve some files there from Maria Hill. 

        Upon arriving there, Bucky couldn't help but look astonished as he looked at the place. Deep down inside, he was still adjusting to the modern time period he is in. Steve began his little tour with Bucky once they got in, while you and Wanda followed behind. 

        "Hey Wanda," You started, "I've been meaning to ask, how are you and Pietro feeling about all this?" you asked. 

        "About what?"

        "About, you know, all that has happened since Sokovia. How are you and Pietro feeling about being part of the Earth's mightiest heroes?"

        You and Wanda hadn't had a serious talk like this ever since Pietro's almost death. You remembered that time when the Avengers barged in your lab with Steve carrying a silver-haired guy with multiple gun shots on his body. She was really worried about her brother and wouldn't leave his side until he wakes up. You talked to her about it and assured her that her brother is going to be fine. This small talk turned to an exchange of past lives, fears, and all other stuff. Ever since that day, both of you became as close as ever. 

        "Well," Wanda said, taking a deep breath, "To be honest, it feels wonderful to be part of something good for once. All our life, Pietro and I have been living in HYDRA and consumed by our anger in Stark. What we did was wrong, I know that. That's why we joined the Avengers, despite our hatred for the billionaire. But we saw the good in him, in all of them. So we knew that we made the right choice. Plus, we get to make decisions for ourselves, without the pressure and force, and save innocent lives." she explained. 

        You smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's good to know, Wanda. I'm happy to see that all is going well with you two." Then you smirked. "Especially with you and a certain Vision." 

        Just as you expected, her cheeks flushed in pink. "I don't know what you're talking about, (Y/N)." she said. 

        "Bingo." You grinned. "You can fool everyone, Wanda. But you can't fool me. I see the way your eyes light up when he walks in the room or makes a very logical and smart comment." 

        Wanda laughed at this. "Whatever, (Y/N)." she said, dismissively. "What about you and Barnes, eh?" 

        You shook your head. "Don't turn this on me. I won't answer that question." 

        She scoffed. "Oh please, why can't you just admit that you have a crush on him?" 

        "Because I don't have a crush on him." 

        Wanda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." 

        "It's true!" 

        She looked at, smirking but there is a serious look in her eyes. "Someday, you're going to eat your words and I'll be there to say 'I told you so'." she said. 

        You rolled your eyes and continued following Steve and Bucky, changing the subject of the conversation. When you four turned to a corner, across the hall, stood Scott Lang, whom Sam recruited a year back. 

        When he saw the four of you, his whole face lit up and excused himself from the agent he was talking to. He walked over to you, grinning. "Nice to see you again, Cap." he greeted. 

        Steve smiled and nodded. "Mr. Lang." he acknowledged. "Buck, this is Scott Lang. Scott, this is Bucky Barnes." he introduced. 

        Scott's eyes grew wide as he took in Bucky. "Oh wow, I can't believe I'm standing face-to-face with a very skilled and dangerous assassin." he breathed out. "I like it! Nice to meet you, Bucky." 

        Bucky silently nodded. Scott glanced over his shoulder and saw you and Wanda standing there. 

        "Ladies!" He walked past Bucky and grinned at you both. "So nice of you to visit. (Y/N), I missed you! So nice to see you again." he said. 

        You smiled and laughed. "I missed you too, smartass." you said, giving your pal a hug. To which Bucky raised an eyebrow at. 

        When you two separated, Scott looked at all of you. "What brings you all here in the base?" he asked. 

        "I'm showing Bucky around the place to familiarize him with everything here, so in case Fury assigns him to train a new recruited agent, he'll know his way around." Steve told him. 

        Scott nodded. "That's good." he said. "You four wanna come with me and watch me train the recruited agents?" Everyone nodded and followed him to a training room. Inside, there were agents sparring and testing out their abilities. 

        Scott began explaining to Steve and Bucky about how training is, while you and Wanda were busy looking at everyone in the room. The four of you stopped walking and watched two agents in the boxing ring hit each other. One was terribly cocky while the other is getting faint bruise marks on the sides of his face. The other guy kept on taunting him with irrelevant remarks about his "petty" reflexes and skills saying that never take your eyes off the target. 

        "Agents!" Scott yelled at both of them. They both stopped and faced you all. "You," Scott pointed to the poor guy beaten up. "Take a break. And you," he pointed to the guy with a smug look on his face. "Stay there." 

        Scott turned to you and smiled. "(Y/N), front and center." 

        Yours and Bucky's eyes grew wide. "Scott? What are you doing?" you asked. 

        "Oh come on, please? Just this once? I've seen you train before. Besides, not everyone knows about your skills in combat. Might as well give them a surprise." he said. "Plus, I want to teach the guy a lesson for being so goddamn cocky." 

        You sighed and rolled your eyes. "Fine." you said and removed your shoes as you stepped in the ring. You were glad you weren't wearing a dress today. 

        "Agent, can you resume your lesson?" Scott said. 

        The agent looked at you from head to toe with a smirk on his face. "What's your name, darling?" he asked. 

        You gave him a tight smile. "(Y/N)." 

        Outside the ring, Bucky was looking at you both with concern slightly visible on his face. He looked at Scott. "Are you sure she's capable of doing this?" he asked. 

        Scott nodded. "Yep." 

        Bucky looked at Steve and Wanda who only shrugged and nodded their heads at him. He didn't understand why they were so calm about this. You could get hurt. _'Don't worry, she'll be fine.'_ Wanda said to him in his mind.

        "You ever box before?" the guy asked. 

        "I have, yes." 

        "Oh, like the booty boot camp? Crunch, something like that?" he asked. 

        You shifted uncomfortably and cleared your throat. 

        The guy started his lesson while you pretended to listen. He kept on sneaking a few flirting in the lesson to which you mentally rolled your eyes at. In each passing second, you felt the urge to knock him down the ground but you held on to that. You glanced back to where Steve, Bucky, Wanda, and Scott were. 

        "Rule number one: Never take your eye off—" 

        Just as the agent was about to teasingly land his fist on your cheek, your reflexes were quick. You gripped his fist and twisted it. You kicked his stomach and jumped and wrapped your legs around his head before flipping him down to the ground, tackling him. 

        Bucky watched the scene with pure astonishment. He didn't expect that at all. 

        Steve smirked when he saw his friend's reaction. "Close your mouth, Buck. You'll catch flies." he said. 

        You released the guy from your grip and stood up, grabbing your shoes. You stepped out of the ring and smoothed down your clothes. "That was quite impressive, (Y/N)!" Scott said, grinning. "That'll teach the kid to be less cocky." 

        You smirked and looked at Bucky. He immediately closed his mouth and cleared his throat, snapping out of his thoughts. "Where'd you learn how to do that?" he asked. 

        "Nat taught me." You shrugged. "I'm not just a doctor or a weapon specialist, Buck. Now if you all excuse me, I'll be upstairs retrieving some files from Maria Hill." you said and headed out of the room. 

        All Bucky could do was stand there and watch your retreating figure exit the room. "Damn...." he muttered. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Bucky sees you play basketball with Nat, Clint, and Pietro.

One early afternoon, Pietro and Clint had been arguing about who plays basketball better. Clint was having the upperhand but Pietro wasn't backing down. Tony grew annoyed at this and said that this argument would settle better if both of them actually had a duel. Nat stepped in and spiced things up. She asked FRIDAY to call you in your lab. When you got there, she told the two to why not make it a team duel. You with Nat, and Pietro with Clint. You were confused about what was happening but Wanda explained it to you. 

        You went back to your room and changed into your sports attire. Tony drove you all to the nearest basketball court and upon arriving there, you and Nat warmed up while the other team did the same.

        The game started out really innocent and fun. But when the guys started to become cocky, you and Nat decided to step it a notch. The others made bets on who would win the duel. Wanda, Sam, and Vision took you and Nat's side, while Steve, Bucky, and Tony took Clint and Pietro's side. 

        You dribbled the ball as Pietro guarded you. You were about to step past him when he used his speed and crossed over you, stealing the ball. Your mouth fell open. 

        "Hey! No powers! That's cheating!" You yelled as Pietro took the shot, the ball went all in. 

        Pietro turned around and smirked at you. "You didn't see that coming?" he remarked, high fiving Clint. 

        You glared and flipped him off. "No powers, a'right? Play fair." you said and as Nat grabbed the ball from Clint. She dribbled the ball and looked for an open space to get past Clint. 

        "Nat!" You yelled, running next to the basket, and pushed Pietro out of the way. "I'm open!" 

        Nat smirked and passed the ball to you. You jumped and threw it to the basket. 

        You ran to Nat, laughing with pure happiness as you hugged her tightly. The game went on for the whole afternoon. The scoreboard is tied by the time the sun has begun to set. You four were sweating and breathing heavily. 

        "Timeout!" Nat called and Pietro dropped the ball. The two teams separated and went to their sides. Vision handed you a water bottle and a towel. You thanked him and drank the whole bottle. When you finished, you exhaled and moaned in satisfaction. 

        "Damn, I needed that." you muttered and wiped the sweat off your face. You removed the hair tie from your hair and fixed your hair, pinning back the fly-aways. 

        You grabbed another water bottle from the ice box and opened it, drinking again. You looked over to the other team across you and saw that they are working on a plan. You rolled your eyes and lied down on the ground, bringing one knee up while the other leg rested on the ground. 

        Across the court, Pietro and Clint were discussing their plan to victory in this duel. Bucky hardly paid attention because he was so caught up with watching a certain (H/C)-head on the other side. He was surprised to see how well she and Nat did throughout the game. He watched how her muscles flexed and the assertive look on her face as she focused on the ball. 

        Bucky saw her lie down on the ground and stare at the sky while she drank her bottle. The liquid poured down to her neck but she didn't care. She was still breathing heavily. He watched the way her chest go up and down as she breathed, the sweat coming down from her exposed neck and down to her collarbone, disappearing in the middle. 

        Sudden flashes of images of you pressed down there on the ground gasping in surprise as his body hovered above you danced around Bucky's mind. He could feel himself growing hard as the thoughts continued expanding to the part where you would be whimpering beneath him as his lips trailed down to your neck. 

        He was so lost in his thoughts that he hardly noticed Tony walking over to his side. "Hey Barnes, what'cha think of their plan? Pretty ridiculous if you tell me. The girls are smart so there's no way their plan's gonna work." Tony said to him. When Tony noticed that Bucky wasn't listening to him and saw that he was staring at something in front of him and he was breathing heavily, Tony raised an eyebrow. 

        He followed the ex-soldier's gaze and landed to where (Y/N) was. He looked back to the man in front of him and analyzed him. Bucky was breathing hard and his jaw was clenched. Tony thought for sure he was angry but when he saw his eyes growing dark and distant, and his Adam's apple going up and down, it clicked. His suspicions were confirmed when he glanced down to Bucky's basketball shorts. 

        Tony smirked and cleared his throat, immediately getting the attention of the soldier. Bucky looked at him slightly surprised and slightly annoyed for interrupting his thoughts. "Enjoying yourself in your own little fantasy world, eh Barnes?" he pointed out. 

        Bucky narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about, Stark?" he asked. 

        "Oh, you know, the _aroused_ feeling you're getting while watching our dear old friend (Y/N) from the other side of the court. Tell me, how are you gonna cope up with that problem of yours down there?" 

        Bucky visibly froze. He was caught. Of all people, it had to be the billionaire to catch him. Bucky opened his mouth to try and protest but Tony beat him to it. 

        "Hey (Y/N)!" Tony called out. Upon hearing your name, you looked over to your side and saw Tony looking at you while Bucky looked at Tony in pure horror. "Frosty's getting all hot and bothered here! Why don't you join him in helping with his pro—"

        Before Tony could even finish his sentence, Bucky grabbed him and put a hand on his mouth to prevent him from embarrassing him in front of you. Tony continued talking but you couldn't quite understand what he was saying because his voice is muffled by Bucky's hand. 

        "I'm sorry, what?" You asked. 

        Bucky shook his head. "It's n-nothing! Don't mind him!" he said. 

        You shrugged and nodded your head before returning back to your previous position. Bucky leaned closer to Tony's ear and whispered, "You tell her about what you saw, I'm coming for your ass." he threatened before letting him go. 

        Bucky walked away, leaving an amused and smirking Tony. Oh he won't be telling you, but he will be telling the others. What a great day to be alive. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Bucky got in balls deep trouble.

Bucky Barnes is an idiot. 

        Yes, he is. 

        It happened this way; He was just minding his own business in Tony's lab when a female agent walked in the room. She was looking for Tony because she had envelopes and files for him to sign. 

        "He just went out to take a call. You can leave the files here." was what he said and gestured to the table next to him. 

        What he didn't know is that this female agent has taken quite a liking to him. One moment he was admiring a gadget that Tony was working on, the next he finds the female agent advance forward to him. 

        "You know," the agent purred. "I do like a man with a dark past. You know, the stereotypical bad guys turning to good guys. I dig that shit." she said, touching his chest. The room started to feel hot inside. 

        Bucky's mouth went dry and he tried to blurt out some words but he couldn't say them properly. He was _stuttering_. Bucky Barnes never stutters for gosh sake. 

        "M-Ma'am, I do not think I'm the k-kind you d-dig...." 

        The female slowly zipped down her top to reveal her chest. Bucky's eyes glanced down and had to stop himself from staring. "Like what you see, babe?" she purred, chuckling seductively. "I think you're wrong there, bud. You're the kind I _want_. Right here, right now." 

        He continued backing away until he felt his bum hit the counter, making him sit down. She put herself in between his legs and slowly caressed his arms before guiding them to grasp her waist. Oh dear lord, he is in trouble. She continued purring seductively at him, making him feel a little bit aroused. 

        "Don't worry, soldier." She murmured, placing her hands on his face. "I don't bite. Unless you want me to." 

        Her hot breath fanned his face as she leaned her face closer. Bucky wanted to push her away, tell her that what she's doing is wrong. But he found himself slowly closing his eyes. 

        Her lips were coming closer, and closer, and—

        "James Buchanan Barnes!" 

        The two of them jumped away. Bucky immediately removed his hands on the female's waist when someone called out his name really loud. 

        Across the room stood an annoyed and glaring (Y/N) with her hands on her hips. 

        Bucky stared at her, looking horrified. 

        (Y/N) looked at both of them, with her annoyance swirling around her eyes. The agent couldn't look at her as she zipped her top up again. You looked at Bucky, gritting your teeth. "Steve's asking for your presence." you told him. "If you are not otherwise _occupied_." 

        Just as you turned around and walked away, Bucky jumped down the counter and followed you. "(Y/N), wait." he said as he caught up to you, fixing his appearance. 

        "Glad to see you are out there getting frisky, Barnes." you said, not looking at him as you two walked down the hall. 

        "Look (Y/N), it's not what you think. She—" 

        "I didn't think anything, Barnes. Not one thing. You always wanted to come back becoming the person who you were in the war, and now you are." 

        "No, you don't understand. I—" 

        "You looked like you were enjoying it. I'm _so sorry_ for interrupting like that. It won't happen again." 

        "No! No! I didn't - She—" 

        You entered your lab and turned to face him, looking at him straight in the eyes. "Steve needs you in the weaponry. Don't make him wait." you told him with a hint of coldness, and closed the door, leaving him in the hallway. 

 

"Hey Bucky, you okay? You're spacing out on me." 

        Steve's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Bucky looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, sorry." 

        Bucky couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier. He didn't know why he suddenly was caught off guard. And what's more embarrassing is that you walked in and saw the whole thing. He made a mental note to try and corner you later and explain the whole thing, if you are there to listen, though. He shook the thought away and listened as Steve talked about something about the weapons to use for the next upcoming mission. 

        Bucky stood up and picked up Steve's shield. "I wonder if Tony could make me one of these." he joked. 

        Steve smirked. "What, so you can be Captain America, too?" 

        Bucky chuckled. "I could be. Probably much better than you." He mimicked Steve's posture when he holds the shield and stands tall and proud. "What do you think?" 

        Steve was about to answer when Tony entered the room. "What's up, lads? How are we all today?" he greeted. 

        Bucky turned to face the billionaire. "What do you think?" 

        Tony made a face. "You look ridiculous." 

        Bucky slightly frowned at this and rolled his eyes. 

        "Are you quite finished, Steve?" You say as you enter the room. "Bucky has some unfinished business to attend to." you pointed out. 

        Bucky visibly winced at your comment but chose to ignore it. He turned to face her and went back to his position. "What do you think? Am I the next 'Captain America'?" he asked, smiling. 

        You simply looked at him and at the shield. You picked up a pistol from the table and aimed it at him. Just as you fired, Bucky hid behind the shield while Steve and Tony ducked for cover. The sound of the bullets hitting the vibranium echoed all throughout the room. You shot the shield by five times before putting the gun down. 

        Bucky slowly looked at you over the shield, looking really surprised and speechless. As well as Steve and Tony. 

        You huffed out a sarcastic smile and said, "Yes, I think you'd be perfect for the role." you said and glared at him before walking away, heading out the door. 

        Once you exited the room, Steve and Tony joined Bucky's side as all three of them stared at the door where you left. 

        "Oh, Barnes. What did you do?" Tony said in a disapproval yet amused tone. 

        Bucky could only gulp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's so cute, ain't he?


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you get Bucky flustered, intentionally and unintentionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Y/F/I/C/F) means "your favorite ice cream flavor".

As the days passed, the season changes. Fall season soon came and you were excited for it. The trees change colors and the weather starts to get cold. 

        Tony once mentioned that since the Christmas season is approaching, everyone should go and buy Christmas sweaters for everyone. Some disagreed because Christmas sweaters have ugly printings on them and looks ridiculous, while some liked the idea. Tony soon discarded the idea when someone showed him a picture of his face in a Christmas sweater. 

        Everyone seemed busy today in the tower. Thor arrived on the planet last week after he was done with his business in Asgard, Tony and Bruce were in their lab and were very focused on their work, Nat and Clint were in the sparring in the gym room, Wanda, Pietro, and the Vision were out exploring the city, Sam was in the Avengers facility, and Steve and Bucky were in the lounge discussing about the plan for the mission tomorrow. 

        Speaking of Bucky, things between him and (Y/N) were alright again. It took him some time and patience to explain to her about the whole thing that had happened. He searched and searched for you in the whole tower but felt like you were avoiding him. Due to this, he got the feeling of, dare he says, _fear_  because he thought he has lost the person whom showed him the good in everything. It wasn't that you were avoiding him, the whole thing just surprised you and didn't expect it. At all. So you decided to stay out of Bucky's way to avoid another encounter like that. But you couldn't get rid of the annoyance you felt. It felt kind of foreign that you had to mentally slap yourself to stop feeling that way. 

        When the whole team found out about what happened, they couldn't stop laughing and teasing Bucky about it. "Wish I'd seen the whole thing that had happened." was what Clint said as he laughed with the others. Bucky looked over to Steve for help but the captain was busy telling the part where you had fired the gun at him. The situation got worse is that Tony spilled to everyone about what happened in the basketball court, which earned more laughter and teasing. Bucky just shrunk down onto the sofa, face flushed in embarrassment. 

        On the other hand, Wanda and Nat found you somewhere in the building with a scowl on your face and asked about your point-of-view about the whole thing. You told them every detail that had happened and how you felt. Your ranting was put on a stop when Wanda asked if you were jealous. 

        "Of course not! Bucky could go out and hit on any woman he wants, and that is _fine_ with me. Why would I be jealous? It's not like I own him. I do _not_ own him! He just...." was what you said and continued rambling, unaware of the exchange of smirks that your two friends made. 

        The whole thing was settled when Bucky finally cornered you and began explaining his side. You felt pity for the guy because he looked so desperate and hopeless as he tried - _and tried_ \- to explain everything that had happened without you cutting him off as often as you could. You had to stop him from elaborating even further because he was going on and on that some of the words he was saying didn't make any sense anymore. When you finally told him that you understand the whole thing (and that you forgive him—even though you weren't really mad at him but he had thought you were), he breathed out a sigh of relief and engulfed you in his arms. 

        You were now in your lab, applying the final touches to the newly upgraded gun of Nat. Once you were finished, you breathed out a sigh of relief and grinned at your work. You couldn't wait to show it to her. You placed the gun to the side and removed your gloves and lab goggles. All that work made you feel thirsty so you decided to head to the kitchen in the lounge, since it was the nearest one.

        You waved at the two soldiers when you entered the room and headed to the kitchen. You grabbed a glass and poured water on it. You gulped it down and decided to join Bucky and Steve for a while. 

        "Hey fellas," you greeted as you walked over to them. "What'cha doing?" you asked. 

        "Just discussing about our plan for the upcoming mission." 

        "That's nice." 

        The three of you chatted for a bit. Clint and Natasha soon entered the lounge, looking all sweaty and panting from the training they did. 

        You made a face. "Ew Nat, you smell." you commented, smirking. 

        She smirked at you. "I know. Come and give me a hug." she said as she took steps closer to you. 

        You moved away, laughing. She entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, before she and Clint joined the three of you. You all were having a good talk when Natasha suddenly remembered something. 

        "Oh that's right!" She let out a groan and face-palmed. "I'll be cooking dinner tonight." 

        You grinned. "Yes! What are you going to cook for us tonight?" you asked. 

        "That's a secret, nerd." You pouted. "But I haven't bought the ingredients, yet. (Y/N) you're a good friend, can you buy the ingredients for me?" she said, doing her best puppy dog eyes at you. 

        You narrowed your eyes. "Why me?" you asked. 

        "Because you know what's fresh and which product is better. Besides, I just got out of training and will be doing some things that Fury asked me to. So, pretty please? With a cherry on top?" Nat begged. 

        You stared at her, pursing your lips in wonder. Sighing in defeat, you said, "Fine. But when I get back, I expect a fruit shake on my lab later." 

        Nat grinned. "You got it, boss." 

        She began listing all the ingredients she will be needing for tonight's recipe. Once she finished, she handed you the paper. You smirked at her. "I feel like I already got the idea." you told her. 

        Nat only smirked. You re-read the ingredients that is listed before standing up. "Well, I'll see you all later." you said and started to head for the door. 

        "Wait (Y/N)," Steve called. "Take Buck with you." 

        If looks could kill, Steve would've been dead already by the glare Bucky's sending his way. You turned around and raised an eyebrow at Steve. "But aren't you two busy?" you asked. 

        Steve shrugged. "It could wait. Besides, he does have a lot of making up to do due to _certain circumstances_ that had happened before." he said and looked at Bucky and urged him to go with you. Nat and Clint snickered at this. 

        Bucky glared at his friend and silently stood up and walked over to your side, grabbing his hoodie from the counter and slipped it on. You ignored Steve's comment and smiled at Bucky. "You ready, Buck?" you asked. 

 

 

"Hey (Y/N), are you sure it's a good idea to walk to the grocery mart?" Bucky asked you while you two walked along the sidewalk, with him following just behind you. 

        You nodded your head. "Yeah. I didn't want one of Tony's drivers to drive us to the grocery mart. We can do it by ourselves." you told him. 

        Bucky looked at you, feeling slightly nervous at what's happening at the moment. He wasn't used to being outside the tower and surrounded by a lot of people. He is doing all he can to prevent himself from having another episode. He didn't want to hurt you, or anybody here. Sure they seem harmless but he keeps a close eye in their surroundings. HYDRA can still be around, waiting for the chance to pounce on him and you. If he messes up, your safety would be compromised. Bucky wouldn't let that happen. Not to you. He won't let any thug try to harm even one single strand of hair on your body. 

        He felt someone hold on to his arm, stopping him. He looked at the hand then to the owner. 

        "Hey Buck, you're going the wrong way." You said, smiling. 

        "Oh." He said and pursed his lips together, standing next to you. "Sorry." 

        You noticed the slight distress in his face. You frowned. "What's on your mind?" you asked. 

He shook his head, as if to dismiss the question. "Nothing. Just.... things." he said. 

        You didn't push the subject further. You knew something was up but decided to wait for him to tell you. If he won't, that's alright with you. Sometimes, there are things that are supposed to be kept hidden. So instead, you focused on the busy road in front of you. You glanced at the stop light and saw the timer about to reach 0. 

        "Buck, we're gonna cross the road. Stay close to me." you said and watched him nod. 

        When the timer reached 0 and the light turned red, you and the other people started crossing the road. Two crowds collided with each other and Bucky had tried his best to squeeze through the crowd without losing you. When he felt that as if he was slipping away, he reached out and grabbed your hand. He held it as you both successfully crossed the road. 

        Once you both got to the other side, you turned to face him. He was looking back at the road and the people crossing. "Buck?" you said, calling his attention. 

        He looked at you. "Yeah?" 

        "There's no need to be anxious about. You're with me. Nothing's going to hurt us here. Well if there will be, then I won't let them hurt you. Their asses would get whooped if they try to hurt you. By me, of course." you told him, smiling. 

        Bucky chuckled at this. You glanced down when you felt a gentle squeeze on your hand. You saw that his right hand was holding your hand. You felt your cheeks flush at this. How long has he been holding your hand? 

        Swallowing the blush on your cheeks, you looked up at him and gave him a smirk. "You know, holding someone's hand without permission is rude." you teased. 

        Bucky's cheeks flushed in pink at this when he realized that he was still holding your hand. He instantly let go of your hand and averted his gaze from you, stepping back. "I - I.... I'm sorry. It's just.... back in the road, I—" 

        You let out a laugh. This was the first time you see Bucky officially blushing. You had seen him blushing before but he would always turn away when you try to get a good look of it. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I understand. No need to ramble on a few words." you told him, chuckling. You stepped forward and held his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. You ignored the sudden flutter that your heart gave. "You can hold my hand any time, Buck." you said, smiling at him. 

 

 

Groceries with Bucky turned out fun. It was kind of like having Clint next to you. You told him a lot of puns, onto which he didn't get at first because you said it in a matter-of-fact tone that had him thinking if you were intentionally doing it or not. But when he saw you try to stop a smile, he knew the answer to his thoughts. Pretty soon, he also began making subtle hints of puns to which surprised you. The two of you had a good laugh after that. 

        When you two were finished doing the groceries, Bucky insisted to help you carry the other bag that you were carrying. You told him no and that you can handle it. But Bucky was uncomfortable seeing you with two grocery bags while he carries only one. So he took the other bag from you and carried it. You two argued for a good few minutes before admitting your defeat by pouting, to which Bucky chuckled at. 

        While walking down the sidewalk, you heard a bell ringing from the right side. You squinted your eyes to get a better view. You grinned when you saw an ice cream cart parked by the fences on a store. 

        "Hey Bucky, you want an ice cream?" you asked. 

        Bucky hesitated but nodded his head. You walked over to the ice cream cart and put down the grocery bag you were carrying. You smiled at the vendor. "Two ice cream, please. One vanilla, and one (Y/F/I/C/F)." you said, handing the vendor the money. 

        The vendor scooped up the ice cream flavors before handing the two cones to you. "Here you go, miss." the vendor smiled politely. 

        You smiled and thanked him. You licked your ice cream and sighed in satisfaction. You turned to Bucky with a grin on your face. You handed him the cone. "Here's your ice cream, sir." you said with a British accent. 

        Bucky smirked at you, clearly amused by your attempt of the accent. He put down the grocery bags next to yours and took the cone. "That was terrible." he commented, eating his ice cream. 

        You feigned a mock of hurt. "It wasn't terrible!" you said again in the accent. 

        Bucky shook his head and you two continued eating your ice cream. You looked at the surroundings in front of you, admiring each detail. Today was a good day, you thought. When you two finished your ice creams, you wiped your hands on your jeans before turning to face Bucky. 

        When you looked up at him, you saw a white liquid just above and below his mouth. You started chuckling because he looked like he had a mustache on his face. Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Why are you laughing?" he asked. 

        "Sorry." You said, still chuckling. "It's just that you have a little mustache on your face." 

        Bucky tried to wipe the "mustache" you were talking about, only to create a little mess. You shook your head, chuckling. You pulled out your handkerchief. "I'll get it for you, tiger." you said and stepped closer to him, wiping the liquid off his face. 

        As you did so, Bucky's eyes slightly grew at how close you were. His cheeks flushed in pink and he felt himself fidget. Bucky Barnes does not fidget, he reminded himself. When you finished, you made a mistake of looking up onto his eyes. You were suddenly very aware of how close you two were. His breath was fanning your face which made your heart flutter again. 

        "Um...." you swallowed. You looked away and stepped back. "We should head back." you said and picked up the bag next to you. You turned around and started to walk forward, feeling your cheeks still warm from what had just happened. 

        Bucky picked up the grocery bags from the ground and followed you, ignoring the flutter that his heart was sending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update. So sorry that this chapter took a little bit long to be posted. Writer's block sucks real bad. I hate it. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like it!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you receive a 'secret admirer'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK! After 123934234 years of sudden hiatus, I have finally updated this story. I'm so so sorry for keeping you all waiting. I've seen the comments and I just want to thank you for the patience and support that you guys are giving this story. Consider this update as a peace offering^^

It started a few days ago. 

        You have just woken up from your deep slumber. Normally, you would've been up before everyone is and head directly to work, but today, for some reason, you woke up just in time for lunch time. You were walking on the hallway in the building, minding your own business, when suddenly you heard Sam's voice through the earpiece you were wearing. Tony had developed the earpieces for everyone in the building in order for each individual to be in touch with each other just in case an emergency has suddenly come. 

        " _Hey (Y/N), someone sent you a small package. Come to the lounge._ " 

        You furrowed your eyebrows in mild curiosity. "A package? Who is it from?" 

        " _There's no name of the sender on the box but it came from your favorite coffee shop downtown._ " 

        "Why would... Uh, okay, I'm heading there." you told Sam and headed to where he is. 

        When you arrived there, you saw Sam, Steve, Natasha, and Bucky there. "Hey everyone." she greeted when she reached them. 

        "Hey." Sam said. "Here's the package." 

        Sam was right; the package did indeed came from (Y/F/C/S). I opened the package and saw something that made my eyes grew wide. Inside sat a cup of my favorite coffee (I can smell its faint scent), my go-to pastry, and a small envelope just beside it. 

        Natasha must have seen my reaction because she was next to me in a quick second. "Woah, what is it?" she asked. 

        "Apparently someone sent me a package which has my favorite morning essentials." I told her. "And there's a letter." 

        I pulled the envelope out of the package and handed the box to Natasha. I opened it and saw that the words are typewritten. 

' _Good morning! Hopefully I put a smile on your face when you saw the things I put in here. Have a great day, beautiful_ '

        "Ooooh," Natasha shot her a smirk. "(Y/N)'s got an admirer." 

        The guys looked surprised, especially Steve and Sam. "Woah, really?" Sam asked and joined the two of them. He chuckled. "Yep, you've got yourself one hell of a lovesick admirer." 

        Steve smirked in amusement and crossed his arms. "Well look at you, doc. For someone who is always in the lab, you get yourself some admirers." he commented. 

        You rolled your eyes at them. "Please, guys. This isn't an admirer. The person probably was just being nice and wants to be my friend." 

        Natasha smirked. "Oh, he's not just _being_ nice. And he definitely doesn't want to be _just friends_ with you." 

        Since that day, you have been receiving tons of stuff from an anonymous person. Some days it would be your favorite flowers, a simple notebook for you to write onto, letters which held poetry in it... hell, even having your favorite cereal pack the next day after you finished the whole box the previous time. 

        At first, it was flattering to be receiving such gestures like that -- it makes you feel like you're in a puppy love stage of elementary -- but as it goes by, it makes you feel more annoyed and curious to know who exactly is sending you these stuff. 

        Today, when you walked into your lab, you found sticker notes everywhere saying affirmative messages like 'Hope your day is going well', 'Make sure to eat three meals a day'. You groaned in frustration and took down the notes. 

        Someone knocked on the door, grabbing your attention. 

        "Oh, hey Buck." 

        "Hey." he said and entered the lab. "Just dropped by to see what you're doing." 

        "Well, same old same old." 

        His eyes glanced down to the multi-colored notes sitting on top of the table. "Whose are those from? Your secret admirer?" he said, teasing you a little bit. 

        You groaned and rolled your eyes. "Oh god, not you too." you told him. "But yeah, these are from my 'secret admirer' as what you guys call it."

        "Judging by your tone of voice, you seem displeased." 

        "Yeah, I am. Well sort of. Don't get me wrong, these kinds of gestures are flattering and will not ever be old school. But it gets frustrating, you know? Why all the secrecy? Why can't the person just come and tell it straight to my face instead of... _urgh!_ " 

        You glanced at Bucky, seeing him smirk and raise an eyebrow at you. Your cheeks flushed. "Sorry." you said. "Things like this really bugs the heck out of me." 

        Bucky shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. It's actually amusing to see you like this. The way your eyebrows create a crinkle in between them." he said, pointing at my eyebrows. 

        "I don't have a 'crinkle'."

        "Yeah you do."

        "No I don't." 

        "You do." 

        "I don't!"

        He chuckled in response to that. "Going back to your admirer, well, maybe they're the shy type that's why they're expressing what they feel like this to save them from being flustered in front of you." he said. 

        You took in his words. "I never thought of that." you murmured then looked up at him. "Well look at you, slowly becoming a love expert, aren't you?" she teased, nudging his shoulder with hers. 

        "I hangout with Sam a lot, remember? I pick up on things fast." 

        You shook your head, chuckling. "Of course you do." you said. "Enough about me and my lovelife, I wanna hear about yours." 

        Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. "What about mine?" 

        "Oh come on, Bucky Barnes. You know what I'm talking about." You chuckled. "Since you obviously hang out with Sam and Steve a lot and have frequent guys' night out every Saturday night, I wanna hear about the guys trying to set you up with someone." 

        He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "don't want you to get jealous." 

        Your eyes widen and your mouth formed an 'o' shape at what he said. He smirked at you as you hit his shoulder. "Where the hell did that come from? Don't be so full of yourself, Barnes." you told him. "Be serious!" 

        Bucky chuckled and rubbed the spot where you hit him (even though it didn't hurt at all) and pursed his lips in thought. "Well in our recent guys' night out, Sam did try to set me up with a girl in the bar. Not gonna lie, she was attractive; good body shape, long legs.... Steve told me that these kinds of girls were my type back then."

        You smirked. "Of course." 

        Bucky feigned a mock of shock. "What do you mean 'Of course'?" he said. "Anyway, Sam gave me some tips and tricks on how to win the lady over since he caught her glancing repeatedly towards our direction multiple times. At first, I kept on declining because I didn't know anything about all that flirting stuff and after a little bit of persuasion, I walked up to the girl to shut Sam and Steve's mouth." 

        "Ooooh, Bucky Barnes getting some action." 

        His cheeks flushed a little at what you said. "Stop." he said. 

        "So what happened after that? Did you successfully get her number and... well, you know..." 

        He shook his head. "Well things went smoothly; I got her number and chatted with her, but nothing happened at all. We just talked. I went back to our table and the guys began asking me questions. They were disappointed at me, especially Sam, because all of the tips and tricks he taught me didn't pay off. He even said maybe I didn't do it right. I just agreed with him." 

        You gave him a look. "Bucky! That was your chance to find a significant other and you just let it slip away." you told him. 

        He nodded. "Maybe. But the reason why I purposely failed is because I already got my eye on someone else." 

        When he said this, his eyes were staring straight at yours. You blinked and stared back. 

        After a few seconds, you said, "Woah, Bucky Barnes has a crush~! Never thought I'd get to see the day." 

        Bucky blinked, as if surprised at how the events turned. "....What?" 

        You looked at him, confused. "What?" 

        He stared at her for a while, then something must have clicked in his brain. He shook his head and chuckled, murmuring something under his breath. 

        "Tell me who's your crush, please?" You pleaded. 

        He shook his head. "One day, I will." he said. 

        "Oh come on!" You groaned as you watched him make his way to the door. "Why not now?" 

        "You've got work to do." 

        "That can wait."

        "No, doll. See you later." 

        You pouted. "Ugh, fine! Thanks for the additional frustration, Bucky. Now I also have to find out who your crush is." 

        Bucky chuckled and shrugged before waving goodbye at you and headed out. 

        "Thanks for leaving me hanging!" You shouted, hoping he heard it. Despite your annoyance, you shook your head and chuckled.

        Unbeknownst to you, a sticker note is sitting on the door-frame of your lab.


End file.
